Dark Storm Rising
by T. F. Crosby
Summary: You may think you know who's in charge but then you find out someone else is pulling the strings. Even the marionette plays with puppets. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Yo! I probably shouldn't be doing this since I already have two ongoing stories, but I can't help it. I'm fascinated with this show. I don't know if that's good or bad. Eh, whatever.

Notes: There are a number of original characters that are very important to the story, However none of them are the main character. That honor belongs to the Dark Ace. (YAY!) I don't want to give too much away in the way of ucs. That would ruin the story, so you;ll just have to read and find out.

Well, I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: The evil monkey in my closet said I own the Storm Hawks, but I think he's lying. I haven't gotten any money for it. Oh, yeah. The yellow-bellied newts are visiting from Dragon City.

_**----------**_

_**STORM HAWKS: DARK STORM RISING**_

Chapter I: Prelude To An Epiphany

If Finn was going to oversleep, then Aerrow was going to have some fun in waking the spiky-haired teen up. The blond was in the middle of a snooze-fest so there was little chance in waking him when entering the room. He crept quietly in with Radarr right behind.

"Perfect. He's on his back," whispered Aerrow. "Okay, Radarr. Go for it."

Radarr quietly, and gently, leapt up onto Finn. The creature froze when Finn started to twitch, but then continued when the twitching subsided and the snoring returned. Radarr pressed his face against Finn's. He was now eyeball to eyeball with the blond.

Aerrow knelt down beside the head of the bed. He rested his chin on the pillow, next to Finn's head. He smirked.

"Oh, Fii-iin," he said softly. "It's time to wake uh-up."

_"Five more minutes…."_ mumbled Finn.

"Wakey-wakey Finn," the redhead said a little louder. "We're getting close to Tropica…."

_"Mmmm…Tropica…."_

Finn's eyes fluttered open, only to see another pair of eyes staring back. It took a few minutes for it to register in Finn's….

"Wahhh!"

Radarr leapt back onto the floor as Finn sat bolt upright.

"Ah, man," sighed Finn as the two on the floor rolled around laughing.

"That's what you get for oversleeping," laughed Aerrow.

The redhead got up and walked to the door with the blue rabbit-dog on his shoulder. "Hurry up. Piper's making sandcakes."

Finn fell back on his bed as his team mates exited. "Man…."

----------

"So, is Finn awake yet?" asked Piper, holding a plate of sandcakes.

"He's coming," answered Aerrow, taking a seat at the table.

Radarr lunged for the sandcakes as Piper sat them on the table. "Nice try," said Aerrow, grabbing the animal just before he reached the cakes.

Radarr gave a defeated sigh.

"Wow!" exclaimed Junko. "Your reflexes are getting faster."

"Thanks, Junko," he answered in appreciation. "Helps keep him from getting into too much trouble."

"Maybe Radarr should work on his reflexes to help keep you from getting into too much trouble," said Junko innocently.

Piper snickered.

Aerrow glared at her. "_Funny…_."

"About time you got up," said Piper.

The other three turned to see Finn traipsing in, yawning all the way. (Radarr was busy eyeing the sandcakes.)

"Did I miss breakfast?" asked Finn sleepily.

"Not yet," answered Aerrow, still holding on to a drooling Radarr. "But you'd better take a seat quick."

Finn mumbled something unintelligible (as he usually did when he was still half asleep) as he sat down across from Aerrow. The blond let out a huge yawn which would turn out to the worst thing he could have done that morning. As he hit the height of his yawn Radarr made a hard lunge for the sandcakes, escaping Aerrow's grip. He flew across the table, gulping down a few sandcakes as he flew over them, colliding with Finn—his snout lodging in the boy's mouth.

The other four Storm Hawks stared as the two stared at each other wide-eyed in shock. The two other humans and Wallop began laughing hysterically, watching Radarr trying to dislodge himself from Finn's mouth—with Finn's help, of course. Stork just stared on with a look that said, "So this is how it's going to be today." He sighed. _Heavily_. Finn continued to pull on Radarr as he continued to push on Finn's face. Finn pulled as hard as he could and finally with a loud _pop!_ Radarr was free and flying back across the table, over the stack of sandcakes (grabbing a couple as he did) and coming to a halt on Aerrow's face.

Finn stood up gagging and spitting. "Blech! Radarr snot!"

His reaction caused the others to laugh harder. Stork, however, simply stabbed his fork into a sandcake and took a nice big bite off it.

"So, it's going to be one of _those_ days." He let out another heavy "Stork" sigh.

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The Dark Ace sat alone on a mesa out in what one might call the "boondocks." It was one of the few mesa-type land formations on Cyclonia and it was well away from Master Cyclonis' citadel. He flicked a few small rocks off the table-top land rise and watched them make their journey down the sloped side. His Switchblade stood next to him, its front wheel touching his leg as if begging him for a ride. It sounded like a good idea; ride right off the mesa, unfolding the wings just meters from the ground. The Dark Ace grinned, ever so warmly, at the idea—if only for a moment. His mind refused to let him dwell too long on the thought. It had other things in store for him.

_Those annoying Storm Hawk punks. Why did he have so many problems with them when the original Storm Hawks were so…? _

There was something about that irritating Sky Knight, something familiar. What it was he couldn't put his finger on and didn't much care to.

He stood up and gazed over the landscape before him. Cyclonia was dark and dreary, even at the brightest point of the day. It seemed so desolate.

There were other things prodding the back of his mind. Distant memories. Memories of a time long forgotten, supplanted by those from years of battle; battle that had ravaged his body and soul. Very little came easy to him anymore. So many battles with Sky Knights, most of which were nothing more than simple, and easily won, skirmishes. The Rex Guardians were a joke. So easily taken out of the sky, mainly by their own arrogance. Sure he was arrogant, but he could back it up. _And that punk, Aerrow, was just as bad_. The Dark Ace grinned. He had to admit the kid was good; better than what he would have expected. (Which was one of the things about the kid that was so irritating.) Of course, he would never admit that to anyone. Nor would he admit that he liked fighting the fourteen year old. He was never embarrassed or angry after losing to him, just irritated. Then again, he never _actually_ lost. _You live, you win_. That's what _he_ had always said.

The Dark Ace grunted and got onto his ride. Standing it upright he once again looked out over the landscape. It was covered with hues of purple and red; splotches of orange and brown. For as dark and dismal as it was, it hid a certain beauty. It was eerie and melancholy, but still, there was something about it….If one was lucky he may see the sun rise and spread its life-giving light across the bleak land. Yes, the sun did exist on Cyclonia. But whenever he was near the citadel and the refineries, he often wondered if the sun had abandoned his home terra. Or perhaps, because of what they—_he_—was doing, the sun felt abandoned.

He sat quietly on his bike, eyes closed and a stoic expression on his face. He could feel the sun's warmth on his face as it rose over the horizon.

"So you are still here," he said quietly to himself. Yes, it was still there. It was always there, always shining.

He may be a warrior and the champion for the resurrection of the Cyclonian empire, but that didn't mean he was against peace. There were times when he wanted to be left alone, left in peace.

His peace was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a Talon Blade landing behind him. The Dark Ace sat silently as a young Talon approached him.

"Excuse me, sir."

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but Master Cyclonis wishes to see you."

He turned to look at the young man who was now standing next to him. Upon looking at the teenager's face his mind was flooded with those memories; those distant memories that were so much a part of his present.

"Your name is Soren, is it not?" the Dark Ace asked.

"Uh…yes, it is, sir," replied the young Talon, shocked that the Dark Ace himself would know his name, let alone say it.

"I need you to do me a favor."

"Yes, sir. What do you wish for me to do?"

----------

Fortunately for Soren the Dark Ace was the commander of the Talons; otherwise he would have been….He really didn't want to think about what would happen to him if he was caught out in the outlying peaks of the terra's north. And fortunately for Soren it was the Dark Ace he was meeting, so there was little chance of him getting into any kind of trouble.

He touched down thirty or so clicks from his destination, transforming into bike mode to ride the rest of the way. He was told by the Dark Ace not to wear anything that would signify him as a Talon—_or Cyclonian_. Soren had to eliminate any indication of such and that included his sky-ride. The Dark Ace said he would take care of the sky-ride issue. How he was going to do that Soren didn't know. But he trusted his commander; probably more than anyone. _He did hope that it wasn't a false trust._

Nearing the forest at the base of the peak he slowed his bike, stopping just within the tree line where the Dark Ace told him to leave his ride. He parked his bike next to a tree, leaving all traces of his true identity on Cyclonia. He walked through the forest, going northwest, approximately four clicks, where his commander would be waiting.

At the edge of a clearing he saw the Dark Ace standing next to his Switchblade, with another bike next to it. The bike was motocross style, like the Bone Wing. It's basic design, anyway. Its features, however, were rather unique, unlike anything he had ever seen.

"Commander," he said with a bow.

The Dark Ace looked him over. All signs indicating he was Cyclonian or a Talon were gone.

"Good," the Dark Ace replied shortly. "Are you ready?"

"I won't know until I get going, sir."

He gave Soren a sly grin. "This is the sky-ride you'll be using," he said, laying his hand on the handlebar of the bike. "It's lighter, faster and more maneuverable than a Talon Blade. It also has a much better crystal fuel economy. It was built to handle the most rugged terrain without losing speed.

"With its twin four-stroke crystal displacement engines combined with its lighter titanium frame it can hit a higher torque at lower RPMs."

"Sounds similar to the Bone Wing."

"You know your sky-rides, Soren."

Soren was bewildered. Was this really the Dark Ace? He seemed so different. He was not the scowling, forceful, authoritarian commander the Talons were so accustomed to. Instead, he was calm; personable…it was a little creepy. "Like my Switchblade," the Dark Ace continued, "it has a single ball-joint articulation between the front and back wheel, allowing for impossible turns in bike mode."

"And in flight mode?" said Soren, crouching down and examining the bike.

"It's equipped with crystal energy triggered folding bi-wings and secondary steel blades that flip out of the wings to…."

"…slice an opponent's ride in a dogfight."

The Dark Ace grinned.

"What's that on the back?" asked Soren, pointing to a light blue cylinder.

"It's a fusion cannon."

"_Fusion cannon…?_"

"It's also made of titanium. The cannon's set on a swivel base, allowing it to fire in almost every direction. And the cannon itself is infused with blue fusion crystals."

"So you can mix nearly any crystal with a fusion crystal and it won't explode in the cannon," surmised Soren.

"Exactly." The Dark Ace walked around to the other side of the bike. "There's one more thing I think you'll like. Cut the engines at a high velocity…and you can soar like a bird. It's more streamline, so it has greater wind resistance."

"This one sweet ride."

"There's only four others like it on Atmos."

"Got a name for it?" asked Soren.

"It's called the Skybax."

"Skybax, huh." Soren stood up and looked out into the clearing. "So, where am I going?"

"To the uncharted regions." He handed Soren a map. "There's a base on one of the more mountainous terras. Due to its distance from here, and the fact that it will be just you and the Skybax, you'll need to stop at subsequent terras along the way. There are bases strategically placed on various terras. The map will show you." He then handed Soren a small, oval-shaped stone on a chain. "You'll also need this."

"What's this for?"

"Show that to the guards at the base and you'll get whatever you need."

Soren took the stone and studied it as it dangled from its chain. "Am I supposed to wear it?"

"Not yet. Keep it hidden until you reach each base."

"Forgive me for being intrusive, sir, but…."

"You'll put it around your neck just before you reach the final base. It will act as a signal."

Soren wanted to ask what he meant, but decided not to push his luck, lest his commander turn back into the Dark Ace he was used to dealing with.

The Dark Ace's tone changed to a more serious one. "You're the best soldier in my ranks. I'm counting on you."

"Yes, sir."

The Dark Ace turned to his Switchblade.

"What's this terra I'm going to called?" asked Soren.

"_They_ call it Talon Adegan. Don't ask me why, I had nothing to do with it." He started his bike up. "Although, I did advise them to drop the "Talon." Not that it would matter."

"Being uncharted. Just out of curiosity," said Soren, over the roar of the Switchblade's engine, "what should I do if I run into the Storm Hawks?"

"Invite them along. Just, uh…don't mention me." He pulled his bike around the Skybax to where Soren was standing, "Good luck." _You're gonna need it_.

Soren watched as his commander rode off. He wasn't sure if he was being serious when he said "invite them along." But with what he knew about the man, it was probably best to believe he was.

He sat on the Skybax looking over the map, his spiky, sorrel hair being flattened by the wind. "Well, Talon Adegan, here I come." He rolled up the map and stuck it into his belt. "What a weird name for a terra. Sounds like a person's name."

The eighteen year old took one last look around the northern forest of his home terra before taking off to terras beyond.

----------

"Whoa! These little guys are quick!" exclaimed Junko as he and Finn tried to catch one of the fuzzy, hopping rodents.

"Finn, you're not gonna catch it," said Piper. "You've been trying for the last hour."

The little rodent hopped through the short grass in front of Finn and Junko. The two dove for it at the same time. Finn landed on his stomach with Junko landing on him; the rodent staying just out of reach.

"Uh…sorry Finn," said the Wallop, getting up off his friend.

"No problem big guy," Finn wheezed.

Stork watched in mild amusement as the two continued to try and catch the animal. The team had decided to make a pit stop on Terra Savannah, mainly to get off the Condor and move about on land for a while. Aerrow had decided to go for a ride across the plains in bike mode. Radarr was ready for a good land ride himself. They had left shortly after Finn and Junko began chasing down the furry locals.

Aerrow and Radarr finally returned after an hour of riding. After putting his Air Skimmer inside the Condor the two headed back out to join the rest of the team.

"They're still at it," said Aerrow, walking up to where Piper was seated.

"Mmm-hmm," answered Piper.

"Hey, Finn!" the redhead yelled. "Maybe you should try catching something other than a kangaroo rat!"

"Maybe we should do that, Finn. You know, something slower," suggested Junko.

"I don't think there is anything slower," surmised Finn, watching a frilled lizard dart across a bed of rocks.

"Well, then, how 'bout something that doesn't hop."

"I did see some blue-tailed water skippers and yellow-bellied newts near that outcropping," said Finn to himself. "Hey! I know!"

"What?" queried the Wallop.

"That outcropping's part of a huge pond, right?"

"Yeah…."

"We can go fishing!"

"Are there fish in that pond?"

"Only one way to find out."

The two grinned at each other. They jumped up and ran for the Condor.

"Where are you two going in such a hurry?" asked Aerrow as they neared him.

"Fishing!" yelled Finn as they zipped by.

Aerrow and Piper looked at each other. The Sky Knight shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

They turned to Stork. "I'll be in the Condor."

"Your loss," said Aerrow walking back towards the Condor.

Stork watched the two walk for a moment before following. "Oh, trust me. It's no loss."

----------

"Whoa…look at all the fish," Finn squealed with glee.

"What kind of fish are those?" wondered Aerrow.

Finn shrugged and said something that sounded like "I don't know."

"I think they're some kind of trout," guessed Piper.

"However," Finn began, as if Piper had never said anything, "I do know what Stork would say."

"And what would that be?" asked Piper, casting her line.

"I believe it would go something like this….'You shouldn't touch them. They could be poisonous. They could give you an incurable rash.'"

"Great Stork impression," complimented Junko.

"Why thank you, Junko. I've been practicing."

Piper and Aerrow snickered. It _was_ a good impression of their pilot. Finn even had the body language down.

Aerrow stopped snickering when he felt a pull on his line. "I got something!" He began reeling the line in. The first few turns were easy, but quickly became tough. "I…can't…reel it…in…." Junko ran over to him and yanked the line, and Aerrow, into the air. At the end of the line was a huge blue and white trout with…

"_Radarr…?_"

…attached to it.

Finn stared in confusion. "How did he…? When did he…?"

"Radarr…let go of the fish," said Aerrow, shaking the pole.

The blue animal grinned and let go of the fish, dropping into the water with a loud splash.

"You do know he's going to smell horrible," said Piper.

"No more than Finn," said Aerrow coolly.

Finn scowled. "At least I don't…."

He was cut off by the sound of a sky-ride. "Hey," Piper began, looking up. "Huh…I didn't know there was anyone else in the area. Stork didn't pick anything up on the sdanners."

"Don't worry," Aerrow said as it flew overhead. "It's not Cyclonian."

"I wonder who it is?" queried Junko.

"Whoever it is, he seems to be alone," replied Piper, returning her attention to the business of catching fish.

Finn began humming, jiggling his fishing pole slightly. "Man, what's the deal. Was that the only _stupid_-fish in the pond?"

"Probably…," said Aerrow, leaning back against a rock.

There was a long silence as the four Storm Hawks (Radarr was asleep in Aerrow's lap) sat on the bank of the pond watching the fish swim around as if nothing had invaded their little fish world.

"Maybe they're not hungry," suggested Junko.

Aerrow closed his eyes. "Either that, or when Uncle Joe took a bite of that tasty worm and suddenly disappeared never to return…."

"I'm beginning to think we don't pose any threat to them," said Piper jocosely.

"That's what they think," said Finn, leaning over the pond.

"Uh, Finn," Aerrow tried, but Finn was zoned out. "I don't think that's such a good…."

_Splash!_

"…idea."

Finn's head popped up.

"Nice catch," said Piper sarcastically, noting the tri-color fish in his mouth.

Finn yanked the fish out of his mouth with a "_blech_." He crawled up onto the bank, mouth-fish in tow. "Man, that's nasty.

"I'm sure it tastes better than Radarr snot," commented Aerrow with a smirk.

The blond spat. "Very funny." He fell silent, staring out into space. The fish slipped from his hand and (incredibly) landed in the bucket of water he had astutely remembered to bring.

_Who was that guy?_

"Finn…," Aerrow called to his bemused friend. "Oh, Finn…."

"Hey! Finn!" yelled Piper.

"Man, he is seriously zoned out," said Aerrow.

"Hey…! Finn…!" yelled Junko, shaking the spiky-haired teen fervently.

"Wahhh! What?"

"What's wrong, Finn?" asked Aerrow. "You were completely zoned out."

"Huh? Oh, I was just thinking about…that guy."

----------

Terra Savannah was Soren's third stop on his way to the uncharted regions—and Talon Adegan.

_Talon Adegan_. What a name for a terra. Soren swore it was somebody's name. _Could it be_…? Nah, no way. It's too easy. _Then again_….

Soren looked down below him. "There it is." He descended towards the gates of the base thinking about what the Dark Ace had said to him back on the mesa. They were such strange comments. If he had said it to the other Talons, no one would have believed him. He couldn't believe it. But that look in his eyes….

_"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up," he said._

_"Sir?"_

_"I should have realized it after the raid. I should never have given in."_

_"I don't understand, sir."_

There was something strange going on. The way the Dark Ace had been acting out on the mesa and then in the forest. Thinking about it was making his head hurt.

"Oh, well," he said to himself as he made his way to the gates.

He parked his bike and approached the guards on foot. Showing them the stone, he was granted immediate entry. Similar stones were embedded in the chest plates of the guards. Soren had been tempted to ask what they meant, but surmised it would be best to wait until he reached his final destination.

The base looked like the other two. It was like a small city; there were people everywhere.

"I suppose this is one way of disguising it," Soren said.

"It is one."

Soren snapped to attention and looked up. _Way up_. The man standing in front of him was well over six foot, rather close to seven foot. And the fact that Soren stood an astounding five feet seven inches made the man seem even taller.

"The name's Morgan," he said. "I'm the commander of this base."

_Commander_, Soren thought. _The guy can't be anymore than thirty. Of course, the Dark Ace is younger than that and he's in command of the largest army on Atmos._

"Welcome to Terra Savannah."

"Thank you, sir," said Soren, shaking the commander's hand.

"We've been expecting you. Follow me."

Soren followed him into a building. "Your sky-ride will be taken to the hanger for some upgrades."

"Upgrades…?"

"We've been given specific instructions."

_Don't tell me he's in charge of this, too. No wonder he seems so…._

Soren's train of thought was derailed by a moment of realization. He took a good look at Morgan.

"Hey, wait a minute. You're…."

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Thar's chappie one. Yup. Tat's her awright. Hope you enjoyed it.


	2. Chapter 2: Talon Adegan

I was going to post this yesterday but I was having uploading issues. I' m still having them. However, I've gotten over it. So, (obviously) I'm posting it. I have a lot of notes, but I'm leaving them for the end. Let's get on with it.

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Chapter II: Talon Adegan

Not much had been happening lately. The Storm Hawks had not seen hide nor hair of the Dark Ace for quite some time now and Aerrow wasn't sure if that was really a good thing. They did, however, run into a number of Talons; but very little came of it. Most of the infractions involved the extraction of crystals from non-Cyclonian-controlled mines or being trapped in places no sane, or even insane, person would want to be trapped in. (The latter usually involved Stork's speeches on flesh-eating creatures, dismemberment, the contraction of various diseases—usually fatal—and, of course, the ever popular death.) The last horrible place they were trapped in Finn made the remark, "why can't we ever be trapped on Tropica?'

_Really why couldn't they?_

Aerrow walked through the corridor of the Condor, Radarr in his usual place atop Aerrow's shoulder. He stopped in front of Piper's room. Not coming into contact with the Dark Ace for such a long period of time was beginning to bother him, though he wasn't sure why, and he needed someone to talk to. Sure, he could to talk to Finn or Junko or even Stork; but he knew that talking to them about the Dark Ace wouldn't help clear his head any. They probably wouldn't listen anyway or, if not that, make some kind of comment. (Maybe not Junko, but he tended to be distracted easily.) No, he needed to talk to Piper. She would listen. Aerrow stood in front of the door. He could hear her rambling on about various crystals; what could be combined with this, what shouldn't be combined with that. The Sky Knight smiled.

_That's Piper._

He raised his arm to knock on the door. He hesitated, dropping his arm to his side. Radarr looked at him, his ears perked up and an eyebrow raised. The blue rabbit-dog chattered.

"I don't know, Radarr," said Aerrow, morosely. "She's probably too busy, anyway." He sighed. "Come on, buddy. Let's go for a ride."

When the two were out of sight the door to Piper's room slid open. She poked her head out and looked up and down the corridor. No one was in sight.

"Hmm….Thought I heard something. Oh, well."

She slipped back into the room and went back to business.

----------------------------

They had left Terra Savannah ten days ago and the only remotely exciting thing that had occurred was when a red-crested orcher flew into the Condor and made itself at home on Stork. The rest of the team cackled in amusement as they watched Stork try to remove the bird from his person. However, the bird (which Finn had named Stork, Jr.) would simply return to its perch on the Merb after each attempt to shoo it away. Junko wanted to keep it as a pet, especially since Finn had named it. (Stork countered Finn's little naming- ceremony with "its name is nuisance.")

The whole seen with Stork and the orcher lasted for most of the morning. Wherever Stork went, so went Stork, Jr. "Stop calling it that," he would mumble. The rest of the team was too amused to help their pilot get rid of it.

When eleven o'clock rolled around Aerrow decided it was time for the bird to leave, much to the delight of a certain Merb. Aside from the fact that it was almost lunchtime, they really needed to get moving and taking the orcher was out of the question.

_"But why can't we keep Stork, Jr.?" cried Finn and Junko_

_"Stop calling it that," mumbled Stork, the bird sitting contently on his head._

_"It belongs on this terra," Piper said to the dejected pair. "The red-crested orcher is found only on Terra Falconis. If we took it with us and it escaped onto another terra…it could destroy the entire eco-system."_

_Finn stared at her. "You are such a pessimist."_

_"Finn…."_

_"And besides that," Aerrow added, "Terra Falconis is a bird sanctuary. If any of the gamekeepers found out we took one of the birds, we'd be in serious trouble."_

_"Again with the negativity," Finn said under his breath._

_"Not to mention," Aerrow continued, "Stork, Jr. probably wouldn't survive."_

_"But…I want him to survive," said Junko._

_("You really shouldn't be so negative."; "Finn!")_

_"Great," said Stork. "Now that were all in agreement that _it_ should stay on Terra Falconis, can we please get it _off_ the Condor."_

Getting the little bird off the carrier was less than anti-climactic. All Stork did was walk out into the open hangar bay and the bird flew off.

_"Well, that was anti-climactic," said Finn, watching the bird fly off._

_"Good-bye Stork, Jr.," called Junko._

_The Merb glared at him. "Stop call…." Stork trailed off realizing it was futile to finish. His team mates were far more interested in the bird. "I'll go plot the next set of coordinates."_

--------------------------------

Aerrow couldn't help snickering as he and Radarr flew just above the Condor through the cerulean blue sky. It had happened over a week ago, but the thought of the bird constantly tailing Stork was still funny.

He sighed heavily. _Man, if this whole Dark Ace thing wasn't enough…._

"I can't help thinking about that guy we saw on Terra Savannah," he said to his furry co-pilot. "I don't know why, Radarr…but it's starting to bug me." He looked to his right at the peak protruding up from the terra below them. "I get the feeling we'll be seeing him again."

-----------------------

He wasn't sure what annoyed him more about Terra Amazonia: the fact that it was a jungle whose foliage seemed to be out to get him or the fact that he was even there at all. He _did not_ like Terra Amazonia. What made it worse was the fact that he had been ordered to take two Talon squadrons there with only vague details on what to do and not told why.

Master Cyclonis had been rather vague with him on his past few assignments and she had not said anything to him about any orders for Ravess or Snipe, or any other Talon squadrons, and it was starting to bother him. However, he made no attempt to even question her decisions. She may be half his age but she was the one with the power. And when it came to power, age mattered little.

He didn't like being left out of the loop. If he _was_ her chosen champion, he should know more detail than he currently did. Not that _he_ had any room to talk. He had his own cache of secrets. It seemed, of late, that they were each going behind the other's back. But he was sure that they were each doing so for vastly different reasons. And his secrets were sure to shock those who knew anything about him.

_Well, maybe not everyone._

There were a few out there who probably knew him better than he knew himself. Even so, they may not be entirely sure which way he was going to swing.

_It's best that way._

He had to be careful. Casting any kind of doubt or suspicion on himself would destroy everything he had been working towards for the past seven months. Coming up against the Storm Hawks again before he reached the final phase was inevitable—and it was also a huge problem. He hoped they would run into Soren first, but he had begun to put a lot of doubt in that. This was only going to become more difficult and he may not live to see it through. Because if she realized what he was up to….

"Commander."

The voice of one of the squadron leaders broke him from his thoughts.

"What is it?" he asked, not bothering to turn around.

"All the crystals are loaded and ready to go, sir."

"Very well," the Dark Ace replied, turning around. "Let's get out of this verdurous hell."

The lieutenant gave him a questioned look as he walked past. It was an odd reaction from the Dark Ace. But since the Talon commander had been having quite a few of them lately the lieutenant shrugged it off and followed. _Must be the stress._

The two men trudged a few clicks through the dense foliage towards the only clearing near the mines large enough to land two carriers. The Dark Ace, in irritation, smacked leaves and vines out his way wishing he had a machete. He could easily use his own blade, but that wouldn't be as much fun.

A high-pitched squawk drew his attention to the left. A small military macaw flew down from the canopy and glided past him. He watched the bird fly by, thus eliminating any chance of him seeing the large root protruding up in an arc right in front of him. His next step planted his foot directly under the root. With the bird nearly out of sight the lieutenant returned his attention forward and noticed the Dark Ace's foot was under the root. He opened his mouth to speak, but by then—_wham!_—it was too late. The commander of the Cyclonian army had done a face plant onto the rich, moist soil.

The lieutenant snorted trying to stifle his laughter. He desperately wanted to make some kind of comment about defeating more Sky Knights than anyone but constantly losing to various forms of foliage. (As well as something along the lines of Amazonia, one; Dark Ace, zero.) However, he knew this was neither the time nor the place for such wisecracks; not that there was _ever_ a time or a place for such wisecracks. Every Talon that has ever had the _pleasure_ of serving so closely under his command would swear that the man had super-sonic hearing.

He offered his hand to his commander. The Dark Ace hesitantly accepted, being careful to move his right foot _away _from the root as he stood up. (The lieutenant initially wanted to ask if he was okay but found that question to lie on the side of stupid.) The Dark Ace brushed himself off and shot the lieutenant a look that said "say anything to anyone and I will kill you."

"My lips are sealed, sir," said the lieutenant, trying to hold back a snicker.

If the Talon commander was not in such a hurry to get off Terra Amazonia, he would have walloped his subordinate right then and there; but as it was, and fortunately for the lieutenant, getting back to Cyclonia was a far more pressing matter—for many reasons.

Finally making it to the clearing, the Dark Ace and the lieutenant (who had been smirking the entire time) walked into a rather amusing sight. Both squadrons were being accosted by military macaws.

The Dark Ace snorted. Even he found it hard to keep a straight face at the sight. _It's funny when it's not happening to me._

The lieutenant grinned. "Well, as the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together."

They watched in utter amusement. "_Ara militaris_. Maybe I should recruit them," said the Dark Ace walking towards the closer carrier.

The lieutenant raised an eyebrow as he followed. _Was that a joke?_

--------------------------

Leaning up against a tree by the lakeshore, Soren watched the long grass and cattails dance in the wind. A collapsible fishing pole sat securely between two rocks next to him. There was no base on this terra, so he was on his own for the time being. Fortunately, the next terra did and it wasn't far. He could have made it there today, but the Dark Ace had told him to take his time. Why his commander had said that he didn't know. As a matter of fact, at this point in time, he didn't know a whole lot of anything and he was eager for answers. And the little that he did know he had a hard time wrapping his head around.

When he was at the academy he never once thought that he would be involved in anything like this. Not that he had a complete understanding of what _"this"_ was. All he knew at that time was that he was Cyclonian and it was his duty to aid in the furtherance of the Cyclonian Empire; which was what made him all the more dumbfounded by what he discovered at the base on Terra Savannah.

He didn't realize it at first, most likely because he had never met the man before then, only heard of him. And the fact that he looked far younger than the forty-six years that he said he was completely threw Soren off. The man who was calling himself Morgan was once the ruthless Tyrek Ilum, commander of the Talons; the man whose command the Dark Ace served under when he was Soren's age. His merciless earned him the nickname "The Black General." He commanded the Talons with great authority and showed little mercy to his subordinates. Ilum had been an instructor at the academy long before Soren had entered. Former students, even the Dark Ace himself, had said that he was the most unforgiving of all the instructors at the academy and was absolutely ruthless on the battlefield. Many people referred to him as the "Scourge of Atmos." At the academy the instructors said that the Dark Ace had been his protégée, apprentice of sorts. Most, in secret, would say that the Black General was the one at the top of the Cyclonian hierarchy, the real Master Cyclonis. But if that were the case, why had he never shown himself to be. There was no Master Cyclonis at that point. The one calling herself Master Cyclonis now would have been a mere child then, barely in grade school.

And besides all of that, Ilum had disappeared into the wastelands of Terra Summit years before the current Master Cyclonis took her place as the leader of the Cyclonian Empire. Ilum had been declared dead and the Cyclonian band played on. However, there were those that believed he was still alive and was the one who had made the teenage girl Master Cyclonis.

Now that he had met the former "Scourge of Atmos" Soren found the idea laughable. They were right about one thing though, Tyrek Ilum was still alive. Only now, he was fighting against the Cyclonian Empire. And it was blatantly obvious that the Dark Ace knew; otherwise the man would have never sent him on this bizarre mission. But _how_ the Dark Ace was involved in all this no one would say—_and it was driving him insane. _

Morgan may not have told him how the Dark Ace was involved, but he did tell Soren about the Dark Ace's time at the academy.

_--------------------------------_

_"So, you were an instructor at the academy as well as the Dark Ace's personal instructor?"_

_"That's right."_

_"What was he like?"_

_Morgan grinned. "He was a wild one, that's for sure. Real demonstrative."_

_"The Dark Ace…demonstrative? I find that hard to believe."_

_"You'd be surprised at what he was like. The kid had his own views and opinions and wasn't afraid to share them with anyone. Back then, his views contradicted what was taught to all Cyclonians."_

_"The code set by the first Master Cyclonis."_

_"Yes. However, he and his two closet friends found an ancient scroll in the lowest underground level of the academy library." Morgan took a sip of his tea. "The scroll was the original Code of Conduct for Cyclonia. It was absolutely nothing like Master Cyclonis',"_

_"I didn't know the library had any underground levels."_

_"They were sealed up shortly after a few instructors found out they had been down there without permission."_

_"What were they doing down there anyway?" Soren's curiosity was getting the better of him._

_"Who knows for sure. He was probably mad at an instructor and wanted to get in trouble just to tick him off." The man's tone changed to a more serious one. "The Dark Ace didn't like being ignored. And he didn't like his opinions or suggestions being criticized or taken for granted…especially when instructors or other students tried influencing him into changing his decisions. He butted heads with a lot of people, including me."_

_Soren grinned, taking a sip of his tea. "The Dark Ace butting heads with the Black General. That had to be interesting."_

_Morgan laughed. "They called us the Ram and the Bull."_

_"The Ram and the Bull, huh."_

_"Among other things."_

_"I bet the puns ran rampant."_

_"You have no idea."_

_Soren started to spin his now empty cup. "If he butted heads with so many people, why wasn't he kicked out of the academy? And what about his friends?"_

_The commander gave a heavy sigh. "There's something you need to understand. The Dark Ace and his friends didn't come from the best of families, which was probably why they were so close. They weren't exactly the poster children for Talon Academy, or Cyclonia for that matter. They were labeled as "those kids", the hopeless kids, the ones that wouldn't amount to anything._

_"However, the three of them were the best damned pilots and fighters Cyclonia had ever seen. There abilities were what kept them in and it's what got them in."_

_"So, it wasn't their submissive natures that impressed," said Soren, facetiously._

_"And I'm going to guess that it wasn't your acidic wit that impressed," replied Morgan, just as facetious._

_Soren grinned._

_Morgan started to laugh._

_"What's so funny?" Soren asked, a little bewildered at the commander's sudden laughter._

_"The more I think about what the Dark Ace was like while at the academy," he began with an amused sigh, "the more I realize how much he and that young pup of a Sky Knight, Aerrow, are alike…even now."_

_Soren grinned maniacally. "I'd bet they both would love to hear that."_

_"Whether they like it or not, it's true."_

_"That just borders on creepy," said Soren with a wry grin. "Aerrow and the Dark Ace being similar in any way."_

_Morgan smirked. "As strange as it sounds it's true. Dark Ace was a good kid." He paused, taking a sip of his tea. "Of course, back then he wasn't the Dark Ace. He does have a name."_

_Soren smirked. Morgan knew what he was thinking._

_"I know what you're thinking," the older man said, "and I can neither confirm nor deny it.'_

_"Oh, come on!" Soren griped. "You can tell me."_

_"You'll find out soon enough," the commander replied with a sly grin._

_Soren gave a defeated sigh. "I still say that's his real name."_

_Morgan only laughed._

_The eighteen year old leaned back in his chair, yawning. "I've been wondering," he said, putting his hands behind his head," how did the Dark Ace get the title? They never said anything about a Dark Ace working for the first Master Cyclonis in history class."_

_"Well, you see, Dark Ace isn't the actual title. Dark is the actual title, while Ace is more of a description of him."_

_"So that's why there's no mention of a Dark Ace before him," said Soren, folding his arms onto the table._

_"Right."_

_"I'm starting to get the Dark part, but what about the Ace? I know you said it's more of a description, but…."_

_"Ace was his nickname at the academy. He was literally the best of the best. Well, at least when it came to combat training. His schoolwork left something to be desired."_

_Soren snickered._

_"He seemed to love the piloting and fighting and, like most students, hated the academic part. In all of the combat competitions held he came in first. He was a true natural." Morgan smiled fondly as he said the last few words. "Many of the underclassmen, those in his class and younger, could be heard talking about how he had out-aced the upperclassmen._

_"In a way, he became their hero, their champion. They referred to him as their ace-in-the-hole. Eventually they started calling him "Ace." It drove the older students nuts. Most of them couldn't stand having someone younger always beating them. And his friends would rub it in as much as they could. He and his friends, like most of the underclassmen, were constantly harassed by their seniors. The three of them more so. So they did everything they could to get under the older students' skin._

_"By the middle of his second year he had broken nearly all the school records. Some of the students started to hate him, if they didn't already." Morgan paused for a moment. "During one of the bike races a few of the seniors decided they wanted to humiliate him in front of the whole school. I'm not exactly sure what they did or how they set it up, but when he crossed the finish line he lost control of his bike. He skidded about twenty feet on his side and slammed into a large crate of flector crystal dust. Both he and his bike were completely covered in the stuff. And it wasn't just any flector dust, it the gold kind."_

_Soren grimaced. He had gotten gold flector crystal dust on himself before. That stuff was a pain to get off. It turned your hair and skin gold, regardless of your hair or skin color. You could get it off your skin with soap and warm water, although it would take a few baths before it all came off. However, your hair was another story. It was impossible to wash out; you had to let fade on its own. And if you were completely covered in fur, well…._

_"His face and hands stayed gold for a few days, but he had so much dust in his hair it stayed gold until the end of the year. The older students began calling him the "Golden Ace." It made him furious at first, but when his classmates and the younger students began to call him "Golden Ace" whenever he beat the older students at anything he started to like it, and used it to his advantage."_

_"And that in turn made the upperclassmen even more annoyed," Soren surmised._

_"Pretty much. That's not to say the older students didn't have anything else up their sleeves. The name may have started out as an insult, but the name stuck and he was called the Golden Ace until his final year."_

_"Final year?"_

-------------------------------

Morgan didn't speak any about the Dark Ace's final year at the academy. Evidently something very big happened; but whether it was good or bad, most likely bad, it changed the Dark Ace.

Soren batted his fishing pole and sighed. He wanted to know more about what the Dark Ace and his friends had found in the academy library; about the original code of conduct. And he wanted to know why the Dark Ace became what he is. What made him destroy the original Storm Hawks? What made him turn his back on those beliefs that Morgan had said the Dark Ace so strongly believed in? What changed him?

The young Talon sat up and batted the pole again. "Are there even fish in here?"

He huffed and laid back down. Something else that Morgan had said intrigued him and made him think hard about the path that _he_ was on.

"It's rather unfortunate that the Dark Ace was born and raised on Cyclonia," Morgan had said. "I truly believe that had he grown up on another terra, he would have become the greatest Sky Knight that has ever lived. But as it is, he is Cyclonian."

Soren wondered what the world would be like had the Dark Ace become a Sky Knight. Where would that leave everyone else? How different would things be?

He shook his head. "Man, I'm thinkin' too much."

----------------------------

The Dark Ace stood on the bridge of the carrier staring out into the pristine blue sky. He may as well have been staring into oblivion, though. With so much on his mind, he was having difficulty focusing on the business at hand. Fortunately, it had been smooth-sailing…_so far_. So far; it was a term that he used very loosely, and one he probably shouldn't have used at all. There was a good chance that by using _so far_ he had jinxed the mission. Come to think of it, he probably shouldn't have used "smooth-sailing" either. Whenever they were on a mission it seemed to be cut short or botched up by those annoying teenagers. Granted, that's what they were hoping for, most of the time. However, this was not one of those times; which meant that they would _definitely_ run into the Storm Hawks.

_Storm Hawks_. He had rarely given it a thought since that day. He hadn't really cared. They were a nuisance to Cyclonia. And their leader….At that time, for him, the ends justified the means; but now he wondered if what he had been told all those years ago was really true. There was an odd feeling coursing through him, something he hadn't felt in over ten years. Was it regret? Remorse? He wasn't sure what it was, but it was making him uncomfortable. But however uncomfortable it was making him feel, it didn't stop him from thinking about it. _Maybe it was fear?_ The fear of one day facing their families. The Dark Ace shook it off. It didn't matter right now. Even so, it couldn't keep him from thinking about what he had been told just weeks before he destroyed the original Storm Hawks. He believed it. Why wouldn't he? The horrible news was given to him by someone he trusted with all his heart and soul. Why would the man lie to him?

The news nearly destroyed the Dark Ace and it did destroy the Storm Hawks.

_----------------------------------_

_He couldn't help smiling. It was official. He and his two best friends had passed the trials. And the fact that they weren't even supposed to take them until after they graduated….But their skills had put them at the top of the academy and gave them a by-pass. They were among the elite. Only one other student had taken and passed the trials before graduating; his own brother._

_He could hardly contain himself at the ceremony. His parents and grandfather were watching him with pride. Unfortunately, his brother wasn't able to be there; such is the duty of a Talon. However, he was able to see him over summer break at his post on Terra Azarria. His friends had come along. It was also a great chance to catch up with their two other friends and Turbo was anxious to get away from the academy for a while. But more than anything, he wanted to see his brother. There was something he had to tell him; something that his parents wouldn't approve of; something that was considered a crime on Cyclonia; something that could have him executed. _

_But his brother would understand. Taron shared his beliefs, even though he remained a Talon. He couldn't risk any kind of exposure. It would destroy everything. He was going to tell Taron everything that had happened since he left for his post on Terra Azarria. Yes, he had taken and passed the Talon trials, but Taron already knew that. Everyone knew that. But there was one thing that only he and his friends knew. He, Bronko and Jola had done it. They had gone against everything they had been taught at the academy and before. The three friends had committed the greatest crime against Cyclonia; committed high treason against their native terra. They had become—Sky Knights!_

_If any of it leaked out, all three of them were done for._

_But at the moment, it mattered little. He was going to see his brother and tell him everything. He had to be careful, though. He would talk to his brother in private, just the two of them. Jola and Bronko would stay out among the other Talons so as not to arouse any suspicion. The Talons in Taron's squadron were on their side, however, the pendulum swings both ways. They couldn't be too careful but they couldn't throw caution to the wind either._

_Man, talk about a pain in the…._

_Fortunately, everything went according to plan. They met up with Taron first and then Rigg and Bobby-Ray. He spent nearly three hours talking to his brother, telling him about passing the Sky Knight trials and getting caught up in a raid on Terra Summit. _

_"So, you're officially a Sky Knight," Taron said with a smile._

_"All three of us," the teen replied, eagerly._

_"And what about this raid on Terra Summit?" asked the older brother._

_"It was just after the trials and we had some time to kill before we had to be back at the academy." He took a long swig of his soda. "So we decided to hang out on Terra Summit for awhile. The first few days we were there everything was fine, but then…these people showed up. They were raiders of some kind. I've never seen anything like them."_

_"Was there anything that made them stand out? What they wore, their ship, any kind of crest or insignia on their person."_

_"No, I don't…." He trailed off, twirling his cup; which he often did when he was trying to remember something. "Wait," he said, abruptly stopping the cup twirling. "One of the men, I guess he was the leader with the way he was barking orders, he had an insignia on the back of jacket below the collar."_

_"Do you remember what it looked like?"_

_"It was a creepy looking eye. Dark purple. It had red claw marks slashing through it. Do you know what it means?" queried the teen._

_Taron thought for a moment. "I'm not sure." He stared into his empty cup. "Tal?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"I need you to do something for me."_

_"What is it?" asked the boy, a little concerned._

_"I need you to go back to the academy and find something for me. Can you do this for me?"_

_"Yes, of course. Anything."_

_Taron pulled a rolled up piece of paper from underneath his bunk. "Take this," he said, handing the paper to his younger brother._

_"What is it?"_

_Taron didn't answer his question. "Do not look at it until the time is right."_

_"What? What do you mean?"_

_"Promise me, Talon," he said, sternly._

_"I –I promise." Talon looked at him in confusion. "What do you want me to find at the academy?"_

_---------------------------------_

_The teen laid on his bed half asleep. He had spent the last three hours searching for the book that his brother had asked him to find. The book was hidden in the underground levels of the library; levels that the headmaster and the staff believed to be completely sealed off. He smirked. The underground levels may have been sealed off to them and the rest of the student body, but not to him; not to Talon Adegan. The seventeen year old had ways of getting into places he shouldn't be in. _

_Before he left Terra Azarria, his brother received orders that both Jola and Bronko were to remain on the terra for some kind of training exercise. The four of them were bewildered by the order but obeyed nonetheless. Talon returned to Cyclonia alone; even Turbo stayed behind. (Rigg and Bobby-Ray coming with him would have been ludicrous. Coming home with a pyromaniac Merb and a Blizzarian would have aroused just a little too much suspicion. [Okay, Rigg would have probably been fine but still, he didn't want to chance it.) _

_So, here he was; by himself. He had been back for nearly a month but had only gotten the chance to look for the book in the past few days. The book was leather-bound, brown, with a number of strange symbols on the front and back, including the symbol for Cyclonia. The book had a long leather marker sticking out of the bottom. With his inquisitive nature getting the better of him, he opened it up to the marked page. The script on the page, and likely the entire book, was written with a now defunct writing system. _

_"Of course, it is," he said to himself. "Oh, yeah, Taron said it would be." He stood staring at the book when a moment of teenage-revelation hit him. "That's dumb. Why would he want me to find a book that he probably can't even read?"_

_He yawned. "Now what do I do? My friends aren't here. I have a book I can't even read. Man, this sucks."_

_He stared at the rolled up paper leaning against his nightstand. It had an odd texture to it, like burlap. Talon sighed. He wanted to unravel it, just to have something to do. But he promised his brother he wouldn't, not until the time was right—whenever that was._

_"I am so bored."_

_He laid the book on the pillow and stared at the cover; which was all he could do. "What whack-job wrote this, anyway?" He yawned, his left arm and leg dangling off the side of his bed. As he continued to stare at the cover his eyelids began to droop; then he noticed something familiar. "Hey, that's…."_

_A girl around his age stood outside his room waiting for just the right moment to pound on his door. She listened for a few more moments then—pounded as hard as she could. The pounding was followed by a loud "thud!" and then an "ow!"_

_She smirked and said, "Golden Boy falls off his bed again."_

_"Ravess…!" an irritated voice yelled from inside the room._

_Talon sat up on his knees rubbing his newly bruised noggin. He grabbed the paper next to his nightstand, tossed it under his bed and stuck the book in the nightstand's drawer. Not that Ravess would have cared to look at it if she had noticed it; although she would have made some kind of comment about him actually reading a book. Still rubbing his head, he dragged his feet over to the door and opened it._

_"Oh, hi Ravess," he said in a snarky tone._

_"Don't you get snotty with me, Goldenrod," she replied, smacking him on the head with her violin bow._

_"Ow! Quit hitting me with that thing!" he yelled. "And stop calling me that!"_

_She grinned. "Stop calling you what? Goldenrod."_

_Talon growled. "What do you want, anyway?"_

_"Mallux wants to see you."_

_"So, he sent you to come and tell me," he replied just as snotty as before. He found great enjoyment in annoying her._

_She smacked him on the head with her bow again. "No. He sent me here to take you to him so you wouldn't take off and hide somewhere."_

_The teen gave her a sheepish grin. Although he saw Mallux as a father and trusted the man with all his heart and soul, he often tried to weasel his way out of doing anything productive Mallux asked of him; especially if it bore any resemblance to hard work. While it didn't bother Mallux too much, it often landed him in trouble with the headmaster, one General Ilarius Mauler. In order to appease Gen. Mauler, Mallux placed Talon under the tutelage of Tyrek Ilum; though it rested more on getting the general off Mallux's back than anything else. _

_"Whatever," he said, brushing his way past her. "I wonder what he wants anyway. I haven't done anything." _

_"Yet…."_

_"Shut up, Ravess."_

-----------------------------------

The pilot noticed that his commander seemed to be in a trance. The Dark Ace hadn't moved from his spot since he first stepped foot onto the bridge. However, the pilot said nothing. If he did do anything to break the Dark Ace from his thoughts, he'd probably be thrown off the carrier. There was no sign of trouble so he let the man be. But he couldn't help wondering what his superior was thinking about.

_----------------------------------------_

_Talon slumped in a chair in the office of the Talons' commander. Mallux wanted to see him, but for some reason he was in Ilum's office. He was more bored in there than he was in his room. He stared out the office window into the courtyard below; not that there was much to look at. Seeing no one outside, he walked over to the door and looked out the small window. The hall was empty. Talon walked back to the desk, smirking. He stopped two feet from the desk and quickly turned to face the chair he had been sitting in, drawing his two energy blades as he did. He pointed the blade held in his right hand at the chair and said, _

_"The name's Talon Adegan, of the Shadow Claws….And you are?"_

_Talon dropped his arm to his side and hung his head, realizing how ridiculous he sounded. "It looked so cool in my head."_

_He sighed putting his blades back in their sheaths and slumped down into the chair. He sat limply in the chair for a few minutes until he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Talon sat up straight and proper being unsure of whom, if anyone at all, was going to walk in. The knob turned and the door opened. Talon turned around to see who was walking in. A tall man in a Talon uniform sporting a dark mustache and goatee entered._

_"I see you decided to not run and hide this time," the man said, taking his seat behind the desk. _

_"Well, I didn't smell any hard work." The teen gave him a sheepish grin. "And it got Ravess to stop hitting me with her violin bow."_

_The man smirked. "Listen, Talon, I…."_

_"Hey, Mallux," Talon said, cutting his superior off. Even though the man was his superior, they were on a first name basis, as Mallux was with all the students in his clan. "Why were Jola and Bronko ordered to stay on Terra Azarria while I came back?"_

_He was looking past Mallux, rubbing the bumps on his head that Ravess had so graciously given him._

_"I don't know. Those were General Mauler's orders," replied Mallux. "Talon, I have…."_

_"Do you know when they'll be back? ("Talon.") Man, when am I going to get to train with squadrons off terra? ("Talon.") Why do I always get stuck here? (Talon….") Even that moron Snipe has trained off terra…."_

_"Talon!"_

_"Huh?" He looked at his superior. "Oh, sorry, Sir." He grimaced._

_Mallux sighed heavily, searching for the right words. "Your brother's squadron was confronted by two Sky Knight squadrons on Azarria."_

_The boy looked at him quizzically._

_"They became engaged in battle. Many of our Talons were lost into the Wastelands, including Jola and Bronko."_

_Talon gasped, his eyes widening. "W –what…?"_

_"Both them and your brother became engaged in battle with the Storm Hawks. Jola and Bronko were taken down into the Wastelands and Taron was killed by their leader."_

_Talon stiffened. He couldn't believe what he was hearing._

_Mallux looked him in the eyes with a sorrowful expression. "I am so sorry, Talon."_

_"You're lying," the boy seethed._

_"Talon…."_

_The comm. unit on the desk beeped. _

_"Yes," said Mallux, pressing the button._

_::"Sir, the carrier has arrived with the recovered."::_

_"Thank you, Lieutenant."_

_Mallux looked up. Talon was gone. He sat down in the chair; a sinister grin crossed his lips._

_"Finally, it begins."_

---------------------------------

"Commander...Commander."

The voice of the carrier's navigator broke him from his thoughts.

"What is it?" he snapped.

"The Condor has been spotted just off starboard," the navigator replied.

"I knew this run was going too smoothly," growled the Dark Ace under his breath.

"What should we do, Sir?" asked the pilot.

"Nothing," replied the Dark Ace, flatly. "Let them make the first move."

-------------------------------

"Two Cyclonian carriers starboard side. We're doomed," said Stork in his usual Stork way.

"We're not doomed, Stork," Aerrow said, nonchalantly. "They haven't done anything."

The Merb's face drooped. "Yet. There's no telling what they're planning."

Piper rolled her eyes. "_If _they're planning anything."

"And why wouldn't they be…?"

"Really, Stork."

"He does have a point," Aerrow said.

Stork grinned at Aerrow's reply and said, "Doom, I tell you."

"What are they doing out here, anyway," Aerrow said as if Stork hadn't said anything.

"They're probably wondering the same thing about us," replied Finn.

"Also a point," said Aerrow.

Finn stared out the window. "I wonder if the Dark Ace is on board one of those carriers?" he thought aloud.

"Only one way to find out," responded a grinning Aerrow.

Stork glared at Finn. "You had to say it, didn't you?"

Finn tapped his index fingers together. "Heh-heh…oops, was that out loud."

"Aerrow don't you dare go out—!"

"You're talking to air, Piper. I know how that feels." Stork turned to see Piper running after Aerrow; and after Junko and Finn, too, apparently. "Yes. I know _exactly_ how that feels." He sighed. "Although sometimes, I think 'air' is a better listener." He pointed the telescope at the bridge of the closer carrier. "Oh, yes. There he is. The Dark Ace. We're all doomed."

He watched through the telescope as Aerrow took to the sky without the others—_or Radarr_. "There's a first. Our beloved Sky Knight going out to face two Cyclonian carriers… all by his lonesome. As if the Dark Ace alone isn't enough. Sure, Aerrow's beaten him a number of times, but you can only dodge so many bullets before you get hit," Stork rambled, sounding like a sports commentator. "If the Dark Ace makes an appearance, Aerrow will be a goner….Bummer."

Stork couldn't peel himself away from watching the carnage he was sure was about to unfold. "Yep. There he goes. The Dark Ace is walking off the bridge, most likely going to the hangar. He'll get on his sky-ride and fly out to meet Aerrow head on. So what else is new."

While Stork was in his sports commentator-rambling mode, Junko and Finn had made their way back to the bridge. The blond leaned closer to the Wallop and said,

"Is it just me, or is Stork more whacked-out than usual?"

Junko looked at Stork then back at Finn. "You know, I really can't tell the difference."

-------------------------------

The carrier pilot looked at the Dark Ace. The man was eyeing the young Sky Knight, who was now visible above the Condor.

"Sir?"

"Inform Captain Laus that I'm going out to meet our little friend," the Dark Ace said.

"Yes, Sir."

---------------------------------

"Captain. We've received word from the Dark Ace. He will be engaging the Sky Knight," informed the communications officer.

Laus grinned. "Very well." _So Dark Ace, how are you planning on handling this one?_

"Your orders, Sir?"

"Move out!" he barked. "We're not needed here."

"Yes, Sir!"

----------------------------------

"Uh-oh," the Merb said, watching the second carrier leave.

"What do you mean, uh-oh?" asked Finn. "One's leaving."

"Exactly," replied Stork.

"Is that bad?" asked a confused Junko.

"Oh, yes. It's very bad. Looks like it will be a duel between Aerrow and the Dark Ace, probably to the death."

"Did I miss something?" asked Finn, confused as well. "How is all this bad? We can easily back up Aerrow."

Stork stared at him. "And the Cyclonian carrier can easily back up the Dark Ace."

"Oh, right."

"Then we'll blast the carrier!" exclaimed Junko.

"And they'll blast back," said Stork, eagerly wanting to remind the two of Cyclonian carrier firepower. "Need I remind you how much firepower a Cyclonian carrier has? Besides, they probably have quadruple the manpower. Oh, yes. I can feel the doom coming."

"Hey look! There's the Dark Ace now," said Junko excitedly, as if the Dark Ace were the greatest Sky Knight ever.

"Junko," Finn began, "you're not supposed to root for the bad guy."

The Wallop grinned sheepishly.

"And besides that," the Merb continued, completely ignoring the other two, "we'll probably end up blasting Aerrow and the Dark Ace in the process." Stork paused. "Okay, so it's not all bad."

------------------------------

For the moment, all either one would do was stare at the other. Neither Aerrow nor the Dark Ace said a word or drew his weapon. Their respective squadrons wondered what in Atmos they were doing.

_What am I doing_, Aerrow thought. _This is insane_.

------------------------------

"This isn't going to end well," said Stork.

"How do you know?" asked Finn.

Stork cringed. "Just trust me on this one."

-----------------------------

Aerrow stared at the Dark Ace with the best game face he could give.

The Dark Ace stood up on his Switchblade, his weapon remaining in its place. Aerrow followed suit.

"You should have a stayed your course, Aerrow," the Dark Ace said flatly. "So, what are you going to do now?"

In all honesty, the redhead had no idea what he was going to do next. _Why didn't I listen to Piper when she was yelling at me in the hangar? _

It simply happened. He didn't think about it at all. He was only a few feet away from his enemy, weapons drawn. "Just what are you up to?"

The Dark Ace, who had yet to draw his own weapon, laughed. "Is that all? You only want to know what I'm up to." He smirked. "And here I thought you wanted a fight. After all…you made the first move."

The Talon commander had him trapped. He had made the first move. Now he had to make a decision: fight or flight. If he chose fight there was a good chance he wouldn't make it back to the Condor in one piece; if he chose flight, he would look like a fool in front of the Talons. (Not to mention that the Dark Ace would never let him live it down.) The latter was unacceptable. He would not give the Cyclonians, especially not the Dark Ace, the upper hand under any circumstances.

"So, what are you going to do, Sky Knight?" taunted the Dark Ace. "Are you going to die like a man or are you going to run like a coward?"

The Dark Ace's taunting was too much for Aerrow to turn away from. When his Skimmer was close enough, he leapt off his sky-ride, energy blades ready, and onto the Switchblade. His energy blades came down on the Dark Ace in a swift and precise motion, however, Aerrow was quickly put in his place. The Dark Ace had drawn his weapon and blocked the Sky Knight's attack with seemingly little effort.

_How did he do it so quickly_, thought Aerrow. _I didn't see him draw his weapon._

"You look a little shocked, Aerrow," the Dark Ace said, flippantly. "Did I do something unexpected?"

He forced Aerrow's arms into the air with his blade and kicked the boy back onto his Skimmer. Aerrow grunted as he landed on his sky-ride.

"Is that all you have to show?" the Talon mocked, trying to provoke the teenager into using his "special move."

Aerrow growled, jumping back onto his feet. "No. And you just caught me off-guard," he retorted, pointing a blade at the man. _Man that was so lame_. _Why do these things sound good in my head but lame when I actually say them_?

The Dark Ace laughed.

_Man…even the Dark Ace knows it was lame. I gotta work on my comebacks_. Aerrow growled again.

"Is that it?" the Dark Ace snickered. "Maybe I should leave you alone to work on your comebacks." Composing himself, he looked directly into the Storm Hawk's eyes. "Come now, Aerrow. Tell me this not all you've brought with you. I'm getting rather bored." He held his blade in front of him as if to clean the dust off it. "Perhaps we should save this for another day." He paused and looked at Aerrow through the corner of his eye. Then with a smirk he said, "When your comebacks aren't as lame as your fighting skills."

That was it. Aerrow had had enough of the Dark Ace's banter, not to mention that the man was now seated on his sky-ride as if nothing were going to happen.

"I'm waiting," the Dark Ace said, nonchalantly.

Aerrow snarled. "You want it. You got it."

As it had happened in so many battles before, the two enemies made their moves at the same time. This time however, there would be an unexpected ending. Their respective blades came down into the face of the other; each seeing only the energy light from the other blade. Both were suddenly thrust back onto their sky-rides; blood oozing from the gashes above and below their left eyes. The two stared at each other in shock, neither able to believe what had just occurred. With the pain finally sinking in, they mounted their sky-rides properly and backed off. There was no need to continue. Each had left his mark on the other. _Permanently_.

--------------------------------------

Piper was still standing in the hangar bay when Aerrow returned.

"Aerrow!"

"I'm fine," he said weakly.

Piper rolled her eyes. "You'd say that if your head was coming off."

_True_.

"Come on. Let's get that taken care of before you pass out."

"I'm ready to pass out now."

-----------------------------------

The Dark Ace stumbled through the hangar bay, unable to see out of his left eye. Two of the crewmen approached him from the left, startling him. They grabbed a hold of him to keep him from thrashing around. The wound ran from his hairline to his jaw-line and it was bleeding profusely. As they entered med-bay, he passed out onto the floor.

----------------------------------

Soren yawned. He hadn't even caught algae at his last spot so he decided to move to the other side of the lake. He laid out in the long grass near the shore with his pole set firmly in the ground. (No rocks to stick it between this time.) Turning over onto his side he noticed the pole jerk. He quickly grabbed it and began reeling in the line. At the end was a large, silver-finned tuna. And at the end of the tuna was something rather strange.

-----------------------------------

Okay, now the notes: The red-crested orcher is a bird that I made up. Think of it as a warbler with a red crest on its head. The military macaw is real and I highly recommend them as pets.

I don't know what the Talon Academy is like, though I'm sure we'll find out. There's a very good chance that I'm completely wrong, but taking into consideration that the majority (not all, obviously) appear fairly young, I imagine the academy is something like a military high school/commissioning school. In my little Storm Hawks world, the academy provides academic instruction typically leading to an academic degree, as well as initial military instruction and basic flight training. Those who graduate enroll in commissioning programs provided by the academy that last from 12 to 30 months, depending on the program. (like the Imperial Academy from Star Wars) It sounds good to me, but like I said; I'm probably wrong.

On the part of how the Dark Ace came to own the title, I initially thought of it the way many seem to use it; inheritance. Whether through family or being inherited by the one who kills his predecessor. I have decided to take it a step further and pattern it after the Star Wars Sith Lord thing. I'm using it as an accordance of the title Dark, rather than the inherited title Dark Ace; much in the same way Anakin became Darth Vader. Darth is the actual title, while Vader was the name given to him by Palpatine (as he is Darth Sidious). The Sith Lord title is no more inherited than Jedi Master is. It is simply bequeathed upon those who earn or are believed deserving of it.

In the case of the Dark Ace, the title Dark, was bequeathed upon him by, well, whoever, and as Morgan said, Ace is more of a description of him.

There's some more notes I'd like to add but this is becoming tedious and I don't want to bore you any further. But if there's anything you absolutely have to know, just leave your question in a review or message me.

Okay, I'm done.


	3. Chapter 3:Whispers in the Dark

Hi people! An important note that I keep forgetting about. This story takes place approximately one year after the beginning of the show. (So, in chapter one where I said Aerrow was fourteen it should be fifteen. But you probably don't care about that minor flub. However I do, 'cause I'm like that.)

Chapter III: Whispers in the Dark

"When's that kid s'posed to get here?" yawned a tan-eared Blizzarian.

"How should I know?" a dark-red Merb huffed in reply. "I'm not the one who asked him to come here."

The mismatched pair was standing outside the base walls being useless; which was far more than what they were being _inside_ the base walls. For some reason Jola had advised them that being useless outside was far more productive than being counterproductive inside. So, she told them to go outside and wait for this Soren-kid to show up. (Not that he would actually show up that day, but she wanted them out of her hair.)

The Blizzarian yawned again. A golden leaf floated down from the looming maple he was standing under and landed on his nose. He flicked it off and watched the leaf float down to the ground. The Merb was leaning against the wall watching the Blizzarian watch the leaves fall. He groaned as the exciting event of watching leaves fall became too much for him.

"What are you groaning about now, Rigg?"

The Merb turned to see his team mate Bronko approaching. He merely sighed in response.

"Watching leaves fall not exciting enough for you."

"Oh no, my elation's overwhelming," Rigg replied, sarcastically. "I can hardly contain my excitement." He huffed. "This kid won't be here today. I'm wasting away out here. I need to blow something up. It's productive! Even if Jola says it's not."

Bronko chuckled to himself. Rigg's dark-red coloring and fire-red hair matched his personality. He was a fireball. An expert in firearms and explosives, as well as pyrotechnics, he enjoyed (immensely) finding new and exciting ways to blow things up and/or set things on fire. He was far from your typical Merb. He could sniff out the paranoid and delighted in scaring them. The Merb walked the fine-line between brave and just plain stupid. Jola had pointed out that he lived somewhere in that gray area between weekend warrior and death wish. The same could be said of Bobby-Ray.

"Hey, there, Boss." Bronko turned to the Blizzarian standing under the tree. "When you s'posen that kid'll be gettin' here?"

"I haven't a clue," replied Bronko.

If Rigg wasn't your typical Merb, than Bobby-Ray _was _your typical Blizzarian. An adrenalin junkie since day one, Bobby-Ray was more than happy to try anything that most sane people would back away from. If a mission involved going higher, faster or just crazier, Bobby-Ray's ready to take it on.

However, for as gung-ho as both of them could be, they were also known for being notoriously lazy; _if they couldn't find anything interesting to do._

"This is boring. The least she could do is let me work on my explosives."

"Sure there, Chief," Bobby-Ray laughed. "And let you blow up the base."

"I'd only blow up half of it, "replied Rigg with a grin.

Bronko laughed at the two. Nearly twelve years after the attack on Terra Azarria, neither Rigg nor Bobby-Ray were showing any signs of changing; but Bronko knew better. They were mere teenagers then and not one of them had a care in the world. It was a time when their spirits were restless; a time before all of their beliefs came crashing to the ground.

"Captain." The voice of one of the communications officers pulled him from his thoughts.

Bronko turned. "What is it, Raya?"

"We've received a message from Terra Cenntinal," she replied.

"Thank you." He turned back to his two friends. "Rigg! Bobby-Ray! Looks like we got ourselves a little mission."

**xxx**

It was cold, whatever he was lying on. _The floor_. It hurt to move. His whole body was throbbing with pain; his face, especially. He managed to get up onto his hands and knees, but quickly collapsed. _Why was he in so much pain?_ He hadn't tried to open his eyes and when he heard footsteps he didn't dare to. He heard a door open with a soft whoosh and footsteps coming toward him.

"I can't believe they just dumped him on the floor like this."

_Ravess?_

"I can."

_Snipe?_

"The least they could have done was put him on his bed."

_So I am in my quarters._

"Since when has anyone around here been that courteous?" Dark Ace said, hoarsely, in response to Ravess.

"So, you are conscious," she said, kneeling down next to him.

"Barely."

"Can you sit up?" she gently asked.

"Made it to my hands and knees about two minutes ago, but that didn't last long." He started to cackle.

Snipe stared at him. "He's cracked."

"At least I don't talk in third person."

Ravess smirked while Snipe mumbled something under his breath.

The Dark Ace stopped cackling and tried to push himself up; but the harder he tried, the worse the pain became. Ravess helped him to his feet; his stance was shaky at best. (Snipe stood watch at the door, so as not to be entirely useless.) The Talon commander was able to stand for a few moments before a sharp pain shot through his body from his head to his feet. He cried out in pain, collapsing into Ravess' arms. She slowly knelt down.

He lay in her arms for quite some time, not wanting to move anymore. The warmth of her body was in stark contrast to the coldness of the floor. Needless to say, he much preferred the former. He grimaced as his muscles began to spasm.

_What did they do to you?_ Ravess thought as she stroked his hair.

A thin smile crossed the Dark Ace's lips as his muscles continued to spasm.

Snipe snorted as he looked down the corridor. He hadn't seen or heard anyone, or anything, since he and Ravess had entered the Dark Ace's quarters. For the most part he couldn't care less; but it was slightly unnerving, even for him. He wasn't paranoid by any stretch of the imagination, but perpetually empty hallways were unusual. He was becoming suspicious and that suspicion was steadily growing.

Master Cyclonis had not given any mission assignments—at least, nothing terribly interesting or involved—for the past few weeks and he was bored out of his skull. Under normal circumstances such meaningless endeavors wouldn't have mattered much to him; but with so many of them and no major missions to speak of, he was finding himself moving down the road of misgiving. With the perpetually empty hallways and the fact that the Dark Ace had spent over eight hours in the infirmary for something as trivial as stitching up a gash (albeit it was his face and a rather nasty gash) only made him move farther down that road.

_Eight hours,_ he thought. _I'm not that stupid. No matter what people think._

"There's something else going on," he said. Ravess turned her head to look at him. "And I don't like it."

As much as she hated to admit it, Snipe was right. There was something else going on and she had a feeling it all revolved around the Dark Ace. She looked down at him. His muscle spasms had ceased and he appeared to be asleep.

Snipe looked over at his sister. He wanted to make a comment but decided he thoroughly enjoyed living. It wasn't that he was bent on achieving immortality, (not that it would ever happen, even if he wanted it to) he just didn't want to die at the hands of his sister. That would be embarrassing.

"Snipe. Help me get him on to his bed."

**xxx**

Soren stared at the furry creature hanging off the fish at the end of his line.

"Radarr! There you are!"

Soren looked up to see a redheaded teenager standing next to him. The insignia of the Storm Hawks was emblazoned on his left shoulder plate. _So, this must be Aerrow._

"Friend of yours?" he asked the Sky Knight.

"Uh…yeah," replied Aerrow, a little embarrassed by his furry pal's antics.

The young Cyclonian moved his line over the shore. Radarr let go, dropping to the ground with a plop.

"Sorry about that," Aerrow apologized. "He can be a real handful sometimes."

Radarr scampered up onto Aerrow's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it." Soren removed the fish from his line and dropped it in the bucket, sighing.

"Is that supposed to be your dinner?"

"Um…yeah." Soren stared into the bucket. "This is depressing."

"So, is it just you and your sky-ride?"

"Yup." Soren gave him a cock-eyed grin. "Nice stitches."

"Yeah, well, you can only dodge so many bullets before you get hit." Aerrow was ready to ask him something, such as his name, when a female voice interrupted.

"There you are," said Piper, stopping her bike. "I see you finally found Radarr."

She looked to her left to see a young man not much older than her staring into a bucket with a depressed look on his face.

"Oh, hi," she said, a bit awkwardly.

He looked up. "Hey."

"I'm Piper," she greeted, extending her hand.

"Soren," he replied, taking her hand. He looked at Aerrow.

"The name's Aerrow, Sky Knight. And this is Radarr." Radarr chattered happily.

They stood in an awkward silence until Aerrow finally spoke. "Hey, why don't you join us for dinner, since you're kinda…_lacking_…in that department."

"Thanks," replied Soren. "Haven't had a decent meal since I left Terra Savannah."

"So, that was you?" Piper surmised.

"Huh?" Soren looked at her confused.

"We were on Terra Savannah doing some fishing," explained Aerrow, "and we saw someone fly overhead."

"That was probably me," Soren replied.

"I don't mean to impose," Piper began, "but what were you doing there?"

Soren racked his brain for an appropriate answer. He couldn't let them know that he was Cyclonian and was working for the Dark Ace; not yet, at least.

"I'm on an important mission for a friend. The outcome of this mission could possibly decide the fate of Atmos."

Piper and Aerrow looked at each other. They quickly realized that this was no ordinary encounter. This meeting was not by mere chance.

"Look, I know you guys are the Storm Hawks," Soren continued. "I wasn't sure if my friend was being serious when he said to invite you along when I asked him what I should do if I ran into you. But, now I know what he meant." He paused for a moment. "I need your help."

**xxx**

The Dark Ace stared into the bathroom mirror. It had been nearly three weeks since his last encounter with Aerrow. The stitches had dissolved and his wound had healed well; but even with the help of healer crystals, a rather prominent scar still remained. Ravess had come to see him nearly everyday, bringing the healer crystals with her; even Snipe had come on more than a few occasions. It made him feel uneasy. Not that they had come to see him, but the fact that it was so frequent. The frequency of their visits meant that they had not been off-terra during that time and he hadn't heard anything from Master Cyclonis. He had been physically able to perform his duties for the past week, yet he had not received a summons once. He was still unable to figure out why he had been in so much physical pain, aside from the wound itself, for over a week. It was all very disconcerting.

There was something very strange going on; but right now he couldn't care less. He had to get out, get away. He had to get off this god-forsaken terra.

He walked out of the bathroom and sat down on his bed. This reaction wasn't him. He wouldn't act like this under normal circumstances; but then, these were not normal circumstances.

As he reached for the shirt lying on his dresser a sudden sharp pain ripped from the back of his neck through his head. He collapsed to his knees, holding his head and gritting his teeth. After only a few moments the pain was gone; as if it had never been there. But it was replaced by something more disturbing.

_Well, well, well, my dear Dark Ace, it's so good to see you. It's been so long. How I've missed you._

"Fantastic. Now I'm hearing voices in my head," he said to himself. "I'm going crazy."

_Oh, no, my dear Dark Ace, you're not going crazy._

"You're right. I'm already there."

The voice chuckled lightly, then faded away.

The Dark Ace stood up slowly. It had to be his imagination. He hadn't been outside his quarters since he had been so _graciously_ dumped on the floor two and a half weeks ago. He must be coming down with cabin fever. He had to get away from there. _ASAP!_ He quickly pulled his shirt on, then his boots. As he walked towards the door he caught something out of the corner of his eye; something he hadn't laid a finger on in months—_his guitar_.

It leaned soberly against the wall, begging to be played; as if feeling abandoned by its owner. The medium lacquer finish shone exquisitely with the flawlessness of a newly veneered violin, as if the dust feared to touch it. The instrument may have given the appearance of newly-made; but as the old saying went, "appearances can be deceiving." The hand-crafted acoustic guitar was older than his grandfather. It had been stripped and finished, not to mention restrung, countless times through its hundred-year history. Crafted from the resplendent Cyclonian white oak that dominated the terra's once majestic southern lands, the guitar had withstood the test of time; unfortunately, the beautiful white oaks had not. The southern lands, like much of Cyclonia, had been decimated by power-lust. The sun still shone on the once lustrous terra, but it did little else.

_At least we still have the northern forests_, he thought. _For now_.

Next to the guitar lay its case. The case itself was made from the blue-needle conifers that dominated the northern forests. Alone the pine was too weak and would be easily damaged. He had made the case himself when he was twelve; he hadn't had much to work with. He varnished the case to make it look somewhat presentable and layered the interior with crimson velvet (which many have said matches his eyes). In his second year at the academy he veneered the case with its polished mahogany.

He knelt down on one knee in front of the stringed instrument. The brown-leather strap, as pristine as the guitar, hung loosely from the clips; he smiled. Opening the case, he felt the crimson velvet interior. It was as soft as it was the day he lined the case with it. He gently laid the guitar in the case, laying the strap over the face, closed and locked it. He knew exactly where to go.

He stood up and as he reached for the case's handle the sharp pain returned, more intense than the first time. He collapsed to his knees, as before, grasping his head, writhing in pain. He wanted to scream, lash out; but just like the first time, the pain was gone as suddenly as it hit. The Dark Ace breathed heavily, not wanting to stand up. The lights in the room flickered and went out. It was pitch black. He couldn't see a thing.

_In a hurry to leave?_

The voice was back.

"Who are you? What do want with me?" Dark Ace growled.

_I assure you, you are not going crazy. But it would be best if you didn't speak aloud._

_'That's not the answer I asked for.'_

_You were always so obedient._

_'Answer my question!'_

_It hurts me so, that you don't recognize my voice. After all that time we spent together, my dear Talon._

His eyes widened in shock. _'No. It can't be. It's impossible.'_

_Nothing's impossible, my dear boy._

_'What the hell do you want with me?'_

_Now, now, there's no need for such language. Simply asking what I want with you is enough. And try being a little more polite. This rudeness is so unbecoming of the academy's finest._

_'Fine,' _Dark Ace seethed._ 'What do you want with me?'_

The voice sighed. _I leave for a few years and look what happens. I suppose I should never have…._

The voice trailed off.

_'Never have what?'_

_Oh, no, I shouldn't say. I wouldn't want to give anything away just yet. And as far as what I want with you, nothing at the moment. Go have your fun. _The voice paused. _Oh, and don't worry about our dear Master Cyclonis. She'll be too busy to care._

_'What do you mean she'll be too busy…?'_

Dark Ace was cut off by the light's return. He would receive no answer. The voice was gone. He growled and grabbed his guitar. Standing at the door, he gave the room a sweeping glance. Giving a heavy sigh, he opened the door, shut off the lights and walked out.

_This only going to make things more difficult_, he thought. "Shoulda figured you'd still be alive."

**xxx**

The old tavern was nearly dead-center on the terra, _not_ _quite_; but close enough. He studied the stone masonry. The tavern was a remnant of a bygone era. Little about it had changed over those hundreds of years. The terra grew and changed around it, but the tavern remained the same. He turned to his sky-ride removing the guitar-in-case that had been so skillfully secured to the back. Walking up to the door, he stopped briefly; a smile crossed his face. It had been such a long time since he last stepped foot into the tavern. _It was good to be back_.

The revelry inside wasn't too far removed from that which had once filled the room so many years ago. Although the old drunken-revelry was gone with most of the alcohol that was once served, the pints of frothing ale were still being served. If one was looking for beer or hard liquor one would be best-off heading to a modern bar; such moonshine would not be found here. However, if one was looking for good food and good music, the Jackdaw Tavern is the place to go. The interior of the tavern, like the exterior, was much the same as it was centuries ago. The walls reflected the magnificent stone masonry of the time period. The ceiling was of wood and thatch (with some reinforcing steel beams to cover the wiring for the lights and ceiling fans). The bar was still of its original stone and mahogany; even the tables and chairs were a throwback to the age. When one stepped into the Jackdaw one would expect to find old men telling tales of knights and dragons; perhaps a few knights themselves telling of their own exploits; as well as minstrels and bards, spinning tales of old.

It was the stage set with drums, keyboard and electric guitars; the ceiling fans; the clothing of the patrons; and electricity in general that gave the tavern its modern twist.

Hearing the door open, the barkeeper turned around, still spinning the drying-cloth in the glass. A man in his late twenties stepped inside, guitar-in-case at his side. He was casually dressed, nothing conspicuous about him. He looked around the room at the patrons; humans and Wallops; Blizzarians; Raptors and Terradons; and even Merbs sat around the tables swapping stories and information of varying interests. The tavern housed characters from every walk of life—even a few Sky Knights and Talons. There were a few more-unsavory characters, the kind you wouldn't want to run into in the proverbial "dark alley." Even so, there was no chance of any brawls or drunken bravado in the Jackdaw. The barkeeper ran his tavern with an iron fist. A retired Sky Knight, Theron was a good man; but one didn't cross him.

The man's boots clacked along the stone floor as he walked towards the bar.

"Well, whadda ya know," said the barkeeper. "Looks like Blackbird's come home to roost."

His booming voice silenced the patrons; they all turned towards the bar. Sparks of exuberance flashed on faces throughout the crowd; they were the regulars. Like everyone on Atmos, they knew who he was; but here…here it was different. He smiled back at them as the barkeeper made his way around the bar to the one they called Blackbird.

"If only for a day," said Blackbird, finishing off the older man's remark. "Theron, it's good to see you."

Theron pulled him into a bear-hug. "Look at you," he said, placing his hand on his young friend's face, thumb resting on the off-colored scar. "You're looking older than you should. It's all wearing you down. And that scar…." Theron patted him on the shoulder.

"That's why I'm here," replied Blackbird.

Theron looked him the eyes. There was a much bigger reason as to why this young flyer was back at the tavern. "What is it, Talon?"

Blackbird looked away, hesitating to answer. Looking back at the old Sky Knight he said, "He's back, Theron. I know it for sure."

"Blackbird…." Theron was cut off by the bellowing of a patron.

"You gonna play for us, Blackbird?" The question came from a scruffy looking Raptor.

"Looks like you've been summoned," said Theron.

Blackbird grinned.

"Hey, boys," the Raptor yelled at a mismatched trio sitting at the table closest to the stage. "It's time to get those euphonic gadgets warmed up."

"Now hold on a minute, Skurj," said a dark-brown Wallop, a member of the trio the Raptor, Skurj, had spoken to.

The Wallop stood up and walked over to Blackbird, putting his arm around the man's shoulders. "Give Blackbird a few moments. The man just arrived." The Wallop grinned at him. A scar ran vertically down his face; a reminder of where a golden eye had once been. "He needs a drink first."

"You sure know how to welcome a guy, Vireo," said Blackbird.

The Wallop, Vireo, flashed him a toothy grin. "Just welcoming an old friend home," he said softly.

Theron chuckled to himself as Vireo hauled the man, guitar in hand, back to the table. "Send out a round of Jackberry," the Wallop called back to Theron.

At the table sat a chestnut Merb called Kite and an auburn-haired human called Shrike. Blackbird sat his guitar on the stage and then took a seat at the table.

The spiky-haired Shrike looked at him. "It's been a while, Blackbird. What's been goin' on?"

"Something that'll most likely get me executed," he replied with a smirk.

Kite leaned in and said in a low voice, "So, you're still going on with it then?"

He looked at each one of them. "I don't know if I can."

Vireo, who was seated next to him, leaned in and whispered, "Then ask him, Talon. If you want to know…."

"It's not just that…."

"Round of Jackberry, boys," Theron said, setting the frothing mugs of dark ale on the table. As he sat a mug in front of Shrike he continued in a hushed tone, "Best to continue keeping it nice and low boys. Birds do have ears." He stood up patting Kite on the back. "Don't drink 'em too fast."

Blackbird stared at his mug. "I just don't know how much longer I'll be able to pull this off."

"You saved that blond kid's life, Blackbird," said Shrike. "You can't turn back now."

"You've come too far, Brother," Kite added. "Besides, it's been almost nine months. For all you know the rest of them know too."

"Yeah, maybe." He stared off between Kite and Shrike, as if in a trance.

"What is it, Talon?' asked Shrike. "There's something else, isn't there?"

As with Theron, he hesitated in answering. "He's back," he said, flatly.

The trio looked at him, stunned. "Are you positive?" asked Kite.

"I wish I wasn't."

"Well, regardless," Vireo began, "we're all here for you, you know that. If you need any kind of help…."

"I know you are," replied Blackbird.

The Wallop finished off his ale and said, "Finish up boys. It's time to play a few sets."

"By the way," Kite began, "when ya gonna bring our little Nightingale back?"

"Yeah, Blackbird," said Shrike. "Our band ain't complete without a—"

"Shut up, Shrike," he replied, glaring. He knew where this was going.

"Maybe next time she comes by they'll be married. To each other, of course."

"Shut up, Kite," said Blackbird, finishing off his ale.

"Oh, come on," said Shrike. "You two have been in love since your academy days." He brought his mug to his lips. "Of course, neither one of you will ever admit it."

"I'm going to hurt you."

"Come on, boys," a female voice called from a few tables away. "You've had your drinks. Now let's hear some music."

They turned their heads (except for Kite, who was looking right at her). A young, and rather attractive, woman was standing at a table a few away from theirs. Her arms were folded across her chest and a smirk crossed her lips.

"The lioness has spoken," said Blackbird, a reply one may have taken to be sarcasm if one did not know any better.

As they made their way to the stage, Vireo said in a low voice, "Doesn't Kefira remind you of someone?"

Shrike, stopping at the base of the stage steps, looked at him thoughtfully. "There is an air of familiarity about her."

Blackbird glared at them while Kite played an imaginary violin, humming a tune very familiar to the dark-haired man.

"I hate all three of you," he said walking up the steps. "Immensely."

As he removed his guitar from its case, Vireo remarked, "With the way he's reacting, you'd think they were already married."

The three of them snickered. Blackbird's eye began to twitch.

Kite smirked as he sat down at the drums. "With the way his eye's twitching, you'd think he's part Merb."

Blackbird mumbled something unpleasant under his breath.

"Oh, just give it up, Blackbird," Shrike said, tuning his guitar. "You're not gonna win."

Blackbird let out an exasperated sigh. Shrike was right. He would never win with them. They reminded him of his old squadron.

He stood center stage with Shrike to his right and Vireo on bass at his left. Kite, at the drums, was in back on a raised platform between him and Shrike. He strummed a few chords, tuning its acoustic sound.

"Dude, why are you doing that?" said Kite. "That thing hasn't been out of tune since you first played it here." Blackbird grinned. "You take forever."

Vireo stared at him. "By the time your done my guitar's gonna be _out_ of tune."

"By the time he's done my _drums_ are gonna be out of tune."

Snickers ran through the crowd.

Blackbird looked back at Kite. The Merb grinned.

Shrike glanced at Blackbird; a huge smile crossed his lips. "Hey, everyone. In case you haven't noticed yet, our boy here has a nice little war wound."

"Here it comes," said Blackbird, resting his arm on his guitar.

"Do you think Nightingale finds that scar hot?"

A few hoots and whistles rose from the crowd.

Blackbird stared at Shrike. "You just don't know when to quit."

"I do," replied Shrike. "I just don't care."

"Figures. So, uh, what should we play first?"

Vireo grinned, looking at Blackbird. "How 'bout, _You make me mad_."

Blackbird grinned back. "You do this on purpose." He looked at Shrike. "Start us off."

Shrike led off the song's intro with Kite following after a few chords; Vireo and Blackbird brought up the backend of the intro. Shrike glanced at the enigmatic Talon as he began to sing.

"I don't know if it's necessarily…."

_"The things you do."_

"Maybe the things you say or maybe just the way you say it. It's true you sing a pretty song indeed."

_"In a new way."_

"You've said some things to me, but I'm not sure if you really mean it. Do you realize what you have done? Do you think we have a problem?

"You make me dance, you make me cry, you make me laugh.

"You make me shout, you make me smile, you make me mad.

"You make me sing, you make me think, you make me sad.

"You make me fall, you make me love, you make me mad."

Hoots and hollers from the crowd as they played. Theron leaned on the bar; a smile crossed his face. His smile grew wider when Skurj yelled out, "Killdeer is back you sky-dogs!" It was good to see Blackbird again; to have him playing with the band. It almost felt like the first time he had played at the tavern; _almost_. There had been a certain someone with him that first time and she had come along a few times since. Theron hoped that this would help keep the one Atmos knew as Dark Ace on the path back to being Talon Adegan; like the teenage boy who had first stepped into the Jackdaw, guitar in hand, nearly fifteen years ago. Theron hoped that Blackbird's taking the Sky Knight trials thirteen years ago would not turn out to be in vain.

**xxx**

The windswept eastern plains of Terra Neepawa were abundant with wheat fields. The largely arboreal terra was home to Atmos' largest wheat and barley crops. Although not under Cyclonian control, the terra remained neutral. _And that was good for everyone; especially the Storm Hawks._

The Condor sat in an outcropping on the western edge of the wheat fields. The Storm Hawks and Soren were going over his map and working out a plan. Stork, of course, was taking the allotted time to freak out over everything.

"This is a bad idea," the green Merb cited, eye twitching.

"Is he always like this?" asked Soren.

"You get used to it," replied Finn.

"There's no base on Neepawa," said Soren, turning back to the business at hand, "so we'll have to go into one of the towns for basic supplies. We'll pick up the rest when we reach Kainopis. After that it's all uncharted until we reach Talon Adegan."

"I still say that sounds like someone's name," said Finn.

Soren grinned and continued. "The nearest town's about thirty clicks north of here. Piper, Junko and I will go get the supplies we need. Aerrow and Finn, you guys have a special mission." The two Storm Hawks looked at each other and then at Soren. "I need you guys to get some information. There's a tavern about twenty clicks east of the town, almost the exact center of the terra. There's an old Sky Knight who owns the tavern, his name's Theron. Just tell him you're working for Blackbird and he'll give you the information." He looked over at the Merb and the blue rabbit-dog. "Stork, Radarr…you guys stay here and hold down the fort."

Stork looked towards the sky. "Thank you."

Soren looked around at everyone. "So, everybody ready?"

Aerrow grinned. "Let's go."

**xxx**

Pulling up to the tavern, the two Storm Hawks could here the music wafting out of the tavern and into the open air. There were sky-rides of every variety; many housing Sky Knight insignias. There were even a few that were clearly Cyclonian.

The two teens looked at each other. "Well, it is a neutral terra," Aerrow said with a shrug.

They walked up to the door; Finn noted the sign above. "Jackdaw. Why do these places always have weird names?"

Aerrow glanced to his left, noticing a sky-ride that looked very familiar.

_Is that the…? Is he here?_

They walked into the tavern, first gawking at the odd assortment of people Atmos had to offer. Aerrow looked towards the stage.

_It's him. No way. He's in a band?_

"Whoa…." said Finn, derailing Aerrow's train of thought. "He's good."

"Can I help you boys?" said a low voice as the band wrapped up their song.

Aerrow turned around (Finn was still gawking at the band) to see a tall, bald man with a black mustache and goatee standing behind the bar. "Uh, yeah. Are you Theron?"

"Sure am kid. What can I do for ya?"

Aerrow wasn't sure if he should just flat out say it or start with something else first. _Well, here goes nothing_.

He leaned in and whispered, "We're helping Blackbird."

Theron chuckled. "Well, young Sky Knight, in that case…."

Finn continued to stare at the band, mesmerized; completely ignoring Aerrow and the barkeeper. This was incredible. The Dark Ace had a band.

_This is so awesome, _he thought.

Blackbird grabbed the water bottle sitting on the platform next to the drums. After taking a drink and setting the bottle back down, he glanced over at the bar.

_Aerrow? What's he doing here?_

He shook his head and picked up his guitar.

"Hey, I got one," said Kite. "How 'bout 'Quit'?"

"Let's do it," said Vireo.

Vireo kicked off on bass with Kite and Shrike coming in right after. Blackbird would only be singing on this one.

"Why don't you boys sit down and listen for a bit," said Theron as the band started to play.

Finn wasted no time taking a seat at a table. Aerrow was a little hesitant, however. He just stood at the bar, listening, as his enemy began to sing.

"Tell me do you feel it…feel it when your heart starts letting go…? I'm unsure now….If I could ever tell you no. I've been seeing traces, of everything I used to know was right….I can't leave now….I need you to remember….It's not like all my love was understood….

"Don't just tell me that it's over. I wanna know how we can make it. I know I'm lost, I know I'm lost but not forsaken."

("Dude, this so rocks," Finn said to himself.)

"Tell me do you want it…? Want to make your heart stop going down? I'm unsure now…if we could ever make it out….I've been seeing traces…of why I wanted to be in this life….I can't leave now. I need you to remember. It's not like all my love was understood.

"Don't just tell me that it's over. I wanna know how we can make it. I know I'm lost, I know I'm lost but not forsaken.

"I'm not givin' up, I'm not layin' down. I'm not leaving without you. 'Cause we're all the same…we all need to stay, when they tell us that we're through…."

Theron leaned over the bar. While the band played the final chorus he said to Aerrow, "Yes, Aerrow. That is the Dark Ace. You're not as different as you think. I guarantee, you two have far more in common than those matching scars."

Aerrow glanced at Theron and then back at the Dark Ace. A look of uncertainty crossed his face. Had he been wrong all this time?

Theron placed his hand on the Sky Knight's shoulder. "Have a seat, Aerrow," he said softly. "There's something else you need to hear."

As Shrike finished off the last few chords of the song, Dark Ace stared at the table in the back closest to the bar. _Finn and Aerrow_. Finn was grinning; apparently enjoying the show. But Aerrow…._That look_.

_You're wrong about me, Aerrow. I'm not who you've always thought I was._

Realizing what his friend was staring at, the Wallop leaned in and said, "If you wanna know, Talon, now's the time."

Catching on, Shrike added, "There's no better time, Blackbird."

He looked back at his band mates. They were right. This was probably his best chance; especially with _his _return. There was no telling what was going to happen to him when he returned to Cyclonia.

"You know what to do, Brother," said Kite.

He nodded in accord. "Let's do it."

Shrike turned to the crowd and said, "This final song is one…well, it's one we haven't performed in quite a while. I hope we can pull this off." He turned to Blackbird, giving him a nod to start.

As the Dark Ace started to play the intro, Finn folded his arms and rested them on the table; just as mesmerized as he was when he first realized it was the Dark Ace performing.

Aerrow watched and listened with uncertainty, but when the rest of the band began to play and the Dark Ace began to sing….

"Prison gates won't open up for me. On these hands and knees I'm crawlin'…oh, I reach for you. Well I'm terrified of these four walls, these iron bars can't hold my soul in. All I need is you."

_"Come please, I'm callin'."_

"And, oh, I scream for you."

_"Hurry, I'm fallin', I'm fallin'."_

"Show me what it's like…."

_"To be the last one standin'."_

"And teach me wrong from right."

_"And I'll show you what I can be."_

"And say it for me, say it to me and I'll leave this life behind me. Say it if it's worth savin' me.

"Heaven's gates won't open up for me. With these broken wings I'm fallin' and all I see is you. These city walls ain't got no love for me. I'm on the ledge of the eighteenth story and oh, I scream for you.

_"Come please, I'm callin'."_

""And all I need from you…."

_"Hurry, I'm fallin', I'm fallin."_

"Show me what it's like…."

_"To be the last one standin'."_

"And teach me wrong from right."

_"And I'll show you what I can be."_

"And say it for me, say it to me and I'll leave this life behind me. Say it if it's worth savin' me."

_"Hurry I'm fallin'."_

Aerrow felt himself being drawn in. There was something strange going on. _Was the Dark Ace talking to him? Was his hated enemy asking him for help? For forgiveness?_ Aerrow wasn't sure what to think.

Theron sat down next to him. "You know Aerrow, you two aren't here at the same time by mere chance. This may seem overwhelming, son, but the decisions the two of you make from here on out will decide the fate of Atmos."

"No pressure, dude," said Finn, whose expression had changed to match Aerrow's.

A strange feeling was emerging from deep inside him and it seemed to the young Sky Knight that the same thing was happening to his spiky-haired friend. Aerrow knew his world was about to change, but _how_ it was going to change….

"And all I need is you."

_"Come please, I'm callin'."_

"And oh, I scream for you."

_"Hurry I'm fallin', I'm fallin', I'm fallin'."_

"Show me what it's like…."

_"To be the last one standin'."_

"And teach me wrong from right."

_"And I'll show you what I can be."_

"And say it for me, say it to me and I'll leave this life behind me. Say it if it's worth savin' me."

_"Hurry I'm fallin'." _

"And say it for me, say it to me and I'll leave this life behind me. Say it if it's worth savin' me."

The crowd roared with approval as Blackbird played the final chords; they stood applauding and whistling. He smiled as he looked around the room at everyone, finally locking his gaze on the far left table. He locked eyes with the young Sky Knight; but only for a moment, as his band mates broke his stare.

"Where will you go from here, Blackbird?" Shrike whispered into his ear.

**xxx**

Blackbird gently laid his guitar in its case. He knew as soon as he stepped foot off the terra, he would once again be the Dark Ace; but he had to go. There was too much at stake and there was still more things he had to do. And he had to know for sure. The whelp of a Sky Knight had heard him, but did he get it? Did he understand? Dark Ace would fi—no, Talon Adegan would find out for certain; but not right now. He had much to do. He had to stay on his new path, no straying. He had to. He had to for them; for his band mates; for Vireo, Shrike and Kite; for Theron, the Sky Knight who didn't see him as the evil, murderous Dark Ace that so many did, They were the one's who saw him for who he truly was; especially when he couldn't see it himself. After saying his goodbyes to his friends, to Vireo, Kite and Shrike, he made his way to the bar where Theron was sitting on a stool. The two exchanged no words; they didn't need to. He looked back one final time. Much of the crowd had dispersed and gone their separate ways, but those who were closest to him remained. Whether or not he realized it, they were the ones that helped him make the decision that changed his path. He turned to the two Storm Hawks who had been staring at him with quizzical expressions for quite some time. Finn looked into his eyes and he replied with a nod to a question that only the two of them knew. He looked at Aerrow, only briefly, and walked out of the tavern. He had to stay on his new path; for them; and especially…_for_ _her_.

By the time Aerrow and Finn gathered their wits about them and made their way out of the tavern the Dark Ace was long gone. They headed back to the Condor in relative silence. When they arrived, the rest of the group was waiting and eager to get moving.

"What took you guys so long?" asked Piper, though she was more curious about the odd expressions on their faces.

"Let's just say that new paths are being forged," replied Aerrow.

Finn sat on his sky-ride bemused, while the others made their way onto the Condor. Realizing the blond wasn't following, Junko asked, "You comin' Finn?"

"Hey, guys," Finn began, the others turned to face him. "Remember how I got lost on Terra Ketaris?"

They all nodded; except for Soren. Unbeknownst to them all, the former Talon was about to have one of his burning questions answered.

**xxx**

I finally got this. It should've been up last week. Oh, well.

Song credits: _You Make Me Mad_ by Third Day; _Quit_ by NEEDTOBREATHE; and _Savin' Me_ by Nickelback

Quick note on the songs: all the lyrics in italics are sung by Shrike.

A little note on the Dark Ace's real name being Talon. It was supposed to be a gag for a humor fic, but the name stuck so I used it for this story. The last name is a Star Wars reference.


	4. Chapter 4: Choices

Finally! Chapter four is up! Sorry for the long wait. Read the last few sentences of the previous chapter and you'll know what's going on in this one. (crickets) Yeah, anyway. Enjoy.

For Sonic Writer - our bizarre banter inspired some of this. You'll know what.

* * *

**Chapter IV: Choices**

"_The choices we make often dictate the lives that we lead."_

_(nine months earlier)_

"Dude, I can't see anything in the fog, " Finn said, waving his hand in front of his face as if it would help disperse the cloudy mist in front of him.

"It's not that bad," Aerrow replied.

Finn stared at him. "What exactly would you define as 'bad'?"

"Uhhhh…." Aerrow had no quick answer for that. "A life or death situation?" he said with a shrug.

The blond wasn't impressed with his Sky Knight's answer. For one thing, it sounded like a question. And second, to him, this _was_ a life or death situation. If they didn't get out of this fog and back to the Condor soon, there was a very good chance that they would either fall off the edge of the terra into the Wastelands (if their rides malfunctioned, which they probably would) or be eaten by ferocious, man-eating beasts. Or worse. _Oh, great! Now he was starting to sound like Stork_.

He sighed. "Man…."

"I really think we should get back to the Condor," said Junko. "Piper's probably wondering where we are."

"I agree with Junko," Finn said flatly.

"We haven't been gone that long."

"How do you know? You're not wearing a watch," said Finn. "Besides, this fog's creepin' me out."

"Yeah. Me, too," added Junko.

"What are you guys afraid of?" Aerrow stared at his friends. Well, at least he could see of them. "You think zombie pirates are gonna appear out of the fog and exact their revenge on unsuspecting victims even though they had nothing to do with stealing the pirate's treasure."

"That's just ludicrous," replied Finn. "Ships can't sail on the ground. I'm thinkin'…zombie cowboys."

Aerrow stared at him. "Zombie cowboys?"

"It could happen."

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh." He held the scanner closer to his face. "According to the scanner, the crystals should be just ahead."

"How can you read it?" the blond quipped.

"The fog isn't that bad," said Aerrow. "Actually, I think it's starting to clear up."

"Clearing up? What terra are you on?" replied Finn. "It's getting thicker."

Junko didn't notice any difference. "Looks the same to me."

"Come on, Aerrow. Let's get back to the Condor. We can find the crystals later."

The blond didn't mean to sound whiny. He was truly sorry if it came across that way, but the fog was starting to scare him. For him, it was becoming thicker; for Junko, there was no change; and for Aerrow, _it was clearing up?_

"Fine then," said Aerrow. "I'm gonna go get those crystals. You can stay here...and wait for the zombie cowboys."

Finn sighed heavily; he was on the losing end. There was no way he was staying in this thick fog by himself, zombie cowboys or no zombie cowboys. "Fine. Fine-fine-fine," replied Finn. "But it's your fault if I fall off the cliff!"

"Whatever." Aerrow rolled his eyes. "Let's just get the crystals and head back."

The sharpshooter groaned, revved the engine and followed. Junko pulled up closer to Aerrow. Finn could barely see the Wallop and he couldn't see his Sky Knight at all.

"Man, this sucks," he said to himself. After a few moments, he realized he could no longer hear his friends' rides; he could only hear his. He stopped. "Junko! Aerrow! Where are you guys?" The fog seemed to be growing thicker. "Man, I can't see..." He heard the low rumbling of sky-rides in the distance. "Aerrow! Junko!" There was no response.

He kicked the engine back on and headed toward where he thought the sound of the sky-rides was coming from. What the young Storm Hawk didn't realize was how dangerously close he was to the cliff's edge.

* * *

Aerrow stopped his ride at the mouth of the cave; Junko pulled up behind him. Their path had been fairly clear of fog for the last few miles, but they were still surrounded by the heavy mist.

"This is the cave where the crystals should be," the redheaded leader said.

"Uh, Aerrow," the Wallop interjected.

"I'll go in and gather as many crystals as I can," Aerrow continued, too focused on the crystals to hear Junko.

"Uh, Aerrow?"

"Finn, you and Junko wait out here just in case something happens."

"_Aerrow!_"

"What?" The Sky Knight's eyes were still on the scanner.

"Finn's not here," the Wallop answered worriedly.

Aerrow turned around. "What do you mean Finn's not..." He trailed off. "Finn?" The sharpshooter was nowhere in sight. "Finn?" Aerrow called out, his voice shaky. Something was wrong. There was no way Finn would deliberately stray off in this fog. "Finn!"

The two remaining Storm Hawks began calling out for their friend. There was no response. Aerrow was ready to contact the Condor when he heard a scream—_a very familiar one_. Finn was screaming for him.

"_Aerrow!_"

The Sky Knight's eyes widened in horror. "_Finn...!_"

* * *

It was no use. The fog was too thick and the clouds that had been forming since he, Junko and Finn had first gone out to search for the crystals were now ready to explode with rain. And the impending storm was causing interference with Condor's instruments; the scanners were rendered useless. An aerial search yielded less than the ground search Aerrow had yelled for Finn until he was hoarse, but there was never a reply. It was as if he had dropped of the face of Atmos. He stood in his room, staring blankly out the window, waiting for the rain to fall. It was now dark and the temperature was dropping. He wasn't worried, though. _He was scared_.

He didn't answer when she knocked, so she let herself in.

"It's all my fault," he said, looking at his reflection. "I should've listened to him, Piper. I should've just forgot about the—"

"Stop it, Aerrow!" she said forcefully.

He flinched. He wasn't expecting her to yell. She sighed, walking over to him. "It's not your fault," she continued, taking a hold of his arm. "Stop beating yourself up. It just happened." She paused and looked out the window. "We will find him."

* * *

Finn's eyes fluttered open. It was dark. _How long had he been out?_ He groaned as the earth shifted beneath him. Fortunately, he hadn't fallen from the cliff's main drop-off, otherwise _he'd be dead_. He had slid down the cliff's sloping side, sliding who-knows-how-far; and hitting every rock and prickly weed along the way. Well, at least it felt like he had. His ride had come down behind him, bouncing down the slope. Fortunately, again, it missed hitting him; but he had no idea where it had come to its stop. His head was throbbing and the right side of his face felt wet. He must of hit his head on a rock, or ten, on the way down. He started to lift his head, but the pain was so intense (not to mention the sudden blood rush) it caused him to black out.

* * *

Dark Ace couldn't fathom what would make him leave the warmth of his campsite; take his sky-ride to the opposite end of the terra, in the fog, at night and with the threat of rain (and who knows what else). He stopped his ride at the base of the Pinnacle Slopes, the frontline of Redbone Cliffs. There was no fog at the bottom where he stood but the rain had begun to fall.

"Great," he said, getting off his ride, Solaris crystal, which was attached to a hollowed-out base and handle, in hand.

He walked along the base, sweeping the light up and down the slope. He groaned. "What am I doing? "

Before he turned to head back to his ride, he took one last sweep with the light up the slope. As he swept across the dirt the light reflected back at him. He moved the light back to where the reflection was strongest—_a skimmer!_

"I know that skimmer," he said to himself.

He walked up the slope towards the skimmer, continuing to sweep the light in front of him. It seemed to be in one piece. The crossbow on the front confirmed it; the ride belonged to that blond kid, Finn. He walked farther up the slope and, for whatever reason, made an abrupt left turn. He sighed, talking to himself.

"Really, Ace. You seriously think you're gonna find that blond kid out here? That little punk isn't gonna leave his frien—"

The light from the Solaris crystal caught a bloody hand and arm stretched out on the ground, stopping Dark Ace dead in his tracks. He moved the light up towards the head of the body and let out a gasp; he couldn't move. He stared at the motionless body of the Storm Hawks' sharpshooter. The boy's face was covered in blood. Dark Ace felt his feet move forward towards the blond as if by their own will. He stopped at the boy's side and knelt down; the light from the crystal encompassed Finn's entire body. His shirt had numerous tears, revealing scratches and a few deep cuts. The wound on his head was still bleeding, but it was minimal. He checked the teen's pulse; it was steady and so was his breathing.

"Well, you don't seem to be in any danger of dying from your wounds. Although, if you stay out here, you'll probably freeze to death."

Dark Ace began fighting with himself over what to do. He didn't want to take the Storm Hawk back to his camp; but at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to leave the kid there. And there was no way he was taking him back to the Condor while the kid was still unconscious. The last thing he needed was any kind of confrontation with that punk Sky Knight.

He huffed. "I know I'm going to regret this."

The Talon commander stuck the end of the torch handle in his mouth and picked Finn up.

_This is gonna be interesting_, he thought as he carried the limp and bloodied body of the Storm Hawk to his ride.

"I'm really, really gonna regret this," he mumbled.

* * *

By morning, the rain had passed and the fog had lifted completely. Aerrow was dead set on starting a new search for Finn and he wasn't going to waste precious time with something as trivial as eating breakfast.

"Look, Aerrow," Piper said in a near scolding manner, "you're not going to do Finn any good rushing out in haste like this."

The Sky Knight stared at her and sighed. "I know, Piper. But what if he's hurt? What if he's—"

"I know what you're thinking, Aerrow. Don't you dare say it."

"But what if he is...?" Aerrow looked away. "I could never forgive myself if something happened to him."

The navigator pushed his face towards hers so that their eyes were locked. "We _will_ find him, Aerrow. And he _will_ be fine."

"I hope you're right."

* * *

Aerrow and Junko, along with Piper, retraced their steps back to the cave, hoping to find something that would tell them where Finn could be. They found nothing. The young Sky Knight was beginning to fall into despair. But however heavy his desperation felt on his young shoulders, he couldn't show it in front of his squad mates. He had to be strong for them; for Finn; and for himself.

Aerrow turned his ride around. "We'll do a pass over the slopes," he said stalwartly. "Junko and I heard him yelling. Maybe he—" The redhead started to shake, but quickly took a deep breath, composing himself. "Maybe he got to close to the edge and slid down the slope." He didn't want to think of the alternative—_falling straight off the cliff's edge_. "Let's go."

The aerial search yielded nothing at first. Aerrow's heart was beginning to sink; then Junko spotted something halfway down, what Piper called, the Pinnacle Slopes.

"Hey, guys! Look!" the Wallop shouted. Aerrow and Piper followed Junko's gaze. "It's Finn's sky-ride!"

The three landed at the bottom of the slope and Aerrow made a beeline for the ride, tripping over rocks and brush as he climbed. It was Finn's skimmer all right and it seemed to be in one piece—for the most part. The crossbow was bent out of shape; a few bearings had been knocked loose; and the shocks were shot. It had a number of dents as well, but other than that...

Junko came up to Aerrow while Piper looked around for any signs of her friend. For as annoying and vainglorious as he could be, Finn could be one of the kindest and most generous persons she knew. And for as much as he grated on her nerves, she couldn't bear to lose him. She looked all over the area. The only sign that Finn had been there was his skimmer. If there were any other forms of evidence, it had all been washed away by the rain.

"Anything?" Aerrow queried, walking up to Piper.

"Nothing," Piper replied dejectedly.

Aerrow dropped his gaze to the ground. His heart was sinking fast. He looked over at Junko; the Wallop's expression matched his own. He could only hope that if anyone had found him, they weren't malevolent in nature.

"Come on, guys. Let's get back to the Condor."

* * *

By the time he returned, with the Storm Hawk in tow, the rain had passed over his camp and was now bombarding the Condor. A few of the Talons were restarting the fire while others sorted through their rations. Dark Ace placed the still unconscious Finn into his tent. Some of the Talons noticed them but said nothing.

"Are you sure it was wise bringing him here?"

"No, Ravess, I'm not," he replied to the archer. "But there was something that wouldn't let me leave him out there." She placed the first aid kit next to him. He had radioed her en route so that everything would be ready upon his arrival. "He should be fine by morning," he said, cleaning Finn's head wound. "I'll take him back then."

* * *

Finn's eyes fluttered open. It took a few moments for them to focus, but when they did... Okay, so he still didn't know where he was. However, he did recognize that he was in a tent; but where that tent was and who it belonged to was another matter. The outer door to the tent was rolled up (the screen was down but unzipped), allowing him to see outside. There was a fire going and it seemed that the sun had just come to its full rise. He saw a couple of men walk over to the fire pit carrying what looked like a carton of eggs and a package of ham or bacon. He wasn't sure who they were or if they belonged to any kind of faction. Then he saw them.

_Dark Ace! Ravess! Aw, man. I'm so dead_. He closed his eyes and turned onto his left side so that his back was to them. _One of them must have found me. Probably Dark Ace_. He shuddered as he thought. _Are they taking me back to Cyclonia?_ He heard the tent rustle; somebody was coming in. He yawned, listening to the rustling of...well, something. Whoever was in the tent with him was looking for something.

"Is he still asleep?" Ravess asked, peering into the tent.

Dark Ace looked over at Finn. "Probably not. I'm sure he'll get up when he smells food."

_How does he know that?_ Finn thought. _Yes, it's true. But that's not the point._

"Of course, he'll probably fall back asleep first," Dark Ace said in an amused tone.

"Sounds like someone I know," Ravess said, walking away.

"Hey!" Dark Ace retorted, following her.

Finn tried hard not to laugh but a snicker escaped his lips. He battled hard against falling back asleep and tried to get up, just to prove Dark Ace wrong; but it was a losing battle and he quickly fell back asleep.

* * *

He awoke a couple hours later to the smell of sizzling bacon. As the scent wafted into the tent and into his nose he sat bolt upright and smiled. And then frowned. _Stupid Dark Ace. He was right_. Finn mentally kicked himself. He just lost a bet with himself. _Crud! Oh, well_. Eating was better than winning a bet. Even if he had ever said, or will ever say, otherwise. But he couldn't just rush out. Then the Dark Ace would win_...a bet that he never actually made. But that wasn't the point_.

Dark Ace looked towards the tent and noticed the sharpshooter sitting up with his arms folded across his chest, frowning. The Talon commander smirked, walking over to the tent.

"You hungry?" he asked, looking inside.

Finn looked at him. He tried to ignore the urge to bolt out of the tent to the food; but his stomach, however, was not. His stomach growled loudly. Dark Ace stared at him; Finn continued to fight against his hunger _and_ proving Dark Ace right. After what felt like an eternity, but in reality only a few minutes, he gave in and bolted out of the tent to the food.

"Well, you _were_ right," Ravess said as Dark Ace stood up.

He huffed and looked at her; she had a smirk on her face. He looked back at the fire where Finn was now sitting. He suddenly realized what Ravess had meant when she emphasized "were."

He glared at her. "Was that some kind of commentary?" She replied with an even bigger smirk and walked away. "I hate it when she does that. I am this close to—"

"Wahhhh!" Dark Ace turned to see the Storm Hawk blowing frantically on his hand.

"I told ya it was hot, you idiot!" said the Talon holding a skillet of eggs.

The Talon commander shook his head. "I don't want to know."

* * *

If he hadn't of been so hungry, eating breakfast, or any meal for that matter, with Dark Ace, Ravess and a few other Talons, would have been extremely awkward..._and frightening_. He had no idea as to what they were planning on doing with him, nor did he want to think about it. They had not restrained him at all and neither Dark Ace nor Ravess had threatened him in any way. Even so, the sharpshooter was not about to make a break for it. He had no weapon, no ride; he was virtually defenseless. And there was no way he was going to take on Dark Ace in hand-to-hand combat and he definitely wasn't going to run. He could easily be shot by any of them. And taking on Ravess...? With his luck, she probably knew Sky Fu or some other martial art.

He sighed as he took another bite of his food (his second helping). Dark Ace had already finished his breakfast and promptly disappeared as soon as he was done; as did Ravess. Finn was now left with three of their subordinates. He didn't dare ask either of the Talon commanders where they were going or what they were going to do with him.

"What are you guys going to do with me?" he asked the two Talons sitting directly across from him.

The two of them shrugged. "Not our call," the black-haired one said.

"Are any of you actually from Cyclonia?" Finn asked, trying to keep from falling into an awkward silence.

"He is," said the black-haired one, pointing to the platinum-blond sitting at the left end of the log.

Finn looked over at him. He was helmet and goggle-less and the Talon didn't look much older than him, probably about seventeen. He didn't look like your typical Talon; there was something odd about him and not just his looks. His near-white hair and red eyes (the same shade of red as Dark Ace's eyes) creeped Finn out a little. The sharpshooter had noticed that he didn't interact much with the other Talons, except for Dark Ace and Ravess. Finn wondered which one was his commander. The other two Talons noticed Finn staring at the teenager on the end.

"His name's Dominik," the redhead, who had his goggles sitting on the top of his head, said. "He's sixteen. This is his first mission."

"Oh," Finn replied. He felt a little weird talking to two men who were supposed to be his enemies. They really didn't seem to be that bad. "So, who's his commanding officer?"

"He trains under Dark Ace," the redhead answered, "but he's in Ravess' squadron."

Finn looked at his plate. "What do I do with this?" The two men pointed to a garbage bag hanging from a tree behind Dominik. "Oh."

_I wonder where Dark Ace and Ravess went to_, he thought as he dropped his plate into the trash.

With his curiosity getting the best of him, he decided to explore the camp...and silently prayed that no one would kill him for doing so. The camp was set up in a clearing somewhere in a forest, somewhere on the terra. _Whatever terra it was_. He couldn't remember. He walked through the maze of tents to the tree-line where he saw...

"No way," Finn said to himself. He ducked behind some foliage between two trees. "Dark Ace... Ravess... Well, well. Isn't this a surprise."

Okay, so it wasn't all that surprising, not to him, anyway. Others may be shocked by it, but not him. He began singing in his head. _Dark_ _Ace and Ravess sittin'_... Of course he hoped it wouldn't go any further than that. Although, he did wonder... _No, no, no_. He started to smack himself in the head. _Get out, get out, get out_. It was time to move before his mind wandered any further or... _Okay, that's enough! Back to the fire! It's much safer there!_ He started to tiptoe away. _Much safer because if either one of them caught me peeping_... He didn't want to think of the consequences. He was scared of both of them; but in this case, for some reason, he was more afraid of Ravess than Dark Ace.

As he passed by a tent, he returned to his normal gate so as not to look conspicuous. He took his spot at the fire, or what was left of the fire, across from the two Talons who were now talking to each other. The one called Dominik was gone and Finn had no clue where he went.

"Where'd Dominik go?" Finn asked offhandedly.

"Probably back to his tent," said the black-haired one.

"So, see anything interesting?" the redhead queried, giving Finn a cock-eyed grin.

"No." Finn squeaked. He quickly cleared his throat. "No." The two Talons grinned maniacally at him. _Aw, crud. They know. This is so not cool._

Dread began to fill him when he saw Dark Ace approach. "Let's go," he said flatly to the sharpshooter. The commander looked at his subordinates; they immediately stopped grinning. "Start packing up."

"Yes, Sir," they said in unison and quickly began attending to their orders.

He looked back at the blond who appeared to be trembling. "Let's go," he said again, a deadpan expression on his face. "Now!" Finn scrambled to his feet and followed Dark Ace to his Switchblade. "Get on."

"Where are you taking me?" the blond queried nervously.

"Back to the Condor," Dark Ace replied flatly. "Now get on."

Finn stared at him "What...?

Dark Ace scowled. "Would you rather have me take you back to Cyclonia?" Finn shook his head 'no' fervently. "Then get on!"

The teenager gulped and got on to the back of the sky-ride. He wasn't about to push the man any further.

* * *

They touched down in a clearing sixty clicks from the Condor, riding the rest of the way in. Dark Ace stopped a few clicks from the Storm Hawks' carrier, staying well behind the tree-line to avoid detection.

"Why are you doing this?" Finn asked as they came to a stop.

Doing what?" Dark Ace replied coolly.

Finn grumbled—on the inside. "Letting me go," he said, getting off the ride.

"I don't know," the Talon commander answered, just as impassively as before.

"What ever..." Finn began to walk towards the Condor.

Dark Ace looked up and said forcefully, "Not a word to anyone."

The sharpshooter turned around to see the infamous scowl of Cyclonis' chosen champion. However, the sneer crossing his lips didn't match the look in his eyes.

"Got it," Finn said softly. "Not a word."

Dark Ace watched the blond until he reached the Condor then headed back to his campsite. He was shaken up by the events of the past eighteen hours and he didn't know why. That only shook him up more. Why did he let the Storm Hawk go? Why did he help the boy in the first place?

_What's happening to me?_

* * *

Piper slowly walked down the corridor, passing Finn's room, trying to hold back her tears; but to no avail. Aerrow had shut himself up in his room and refused to speak. She stopped at his room and leaned against the door. Aerrow sat on the other side of the door, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"It's not your fault, Aerrow," she said softly.

"Yes, it is, Piper," he replied sharply, his voice shaky and hoarse.

"Oh, Aerrow..."

She had never seen Aerrow as upset as he was when they returned to the Condor with Finn's skimmer. Stork had mentioned the possibility of Cyclonians being in the area and that they should find a better spot to hide the Condor.

_"We're not going anywhere until we find Finn!" _

Piper knew very well what he meant by that. Aerrow was afraid that if somehow Finn found his way back to the Condor's location and they weren't there...

She continued down the corridor towards the bridge, stopping when she heard commotion coming from the hangar. She quickly moved onto the bridge to see if Stork had any clue as to what was going on.

"I heard commotion coming from the hangar. What's—"

"I don't know," Stork replied, cutting her off. "I heard Junko yell. He's not answering my calls."

"Hey, guys!" The two turned around to see Junko standing in the doorway with a big, goofy grin on his face. "Guess what?"

The two on the bridge looked on in confusion as the Wallop continued to grin maniacally. Then a familiar face peered around the corner. Stork grinned.

Piper gasped. "Finn...?"

The sharpshooter stepped onto the bridge. "Hey, Piper."

She slowly walked towards the blond not believing what she was seeing. _Is it really you? _She touched his face; Finn gave her his signature grin. As the tears began to trickle down her cheeks, she pulled him into a loving embrace, which he gladly returned.

Aerrow slowly stood up against the door, wiping away his tears. "Come on, Radarr."

"What happened?" Piper asked, pulling away.

Finn hesitated, unsure of how to explain what had happened to him without letting the Dark Ace's involvement slip. "Well, I—"

"Finn?"

The blond turned around; Aerrow stood a few feet away. Radarr chattered excitedly and ran for Finn, climbing up the Sharpshooter.

"Hey, Radarr," he said as the rabbit-dog hugged his head.

The animal jumped onto Junko's shoulder as Aerrow moved closer. He stopped in front of his wingman and reached his hand out, grabbing hold of the blond's shoulder. They stared at each other briefly before Aerrow pulled his sharpshooter into an embrace.

"I'm so sorry, Finn." the Sky Knight sobbed.

"For what?" Finn choked out.

"For not listening to you." Aerrow pulled back, wiping his eyes. Finn gave him a cock-eyed grin. "What happened, Finn? How did you...? I mean..."

Before he could answer, Junko had all of them, Stork included, in a massive bear-hug. It was followed up by a shriek from Stork; a "Junko. Can't breath" from the three humans; a snicker from Radarr; and finally a "sorry" from Junko as he let go of them.

"I'm really happy you're okay, Finn," Aerrow said as Stork made a beeline for the helm.

"So am I," Piper added, giving him a hug from behind.

"Yeah, me, too," Junko said happily with Radarr chattering in accord.

Stork mumbled something from the helm.

"What was that, Stork?" Finn asked, grinning.

The Merb sighed. "I said, I-am-glad-you-are-back-too," he said as if there was nothing in Atmos more difficult to say than that.

"Thanks, Stork," Finn said.

The rest of the Storm Hawks grinned at him. Yes, he was glad to have the sharpshooter back. However, now that he had admitted to it, he would never hear the end of it.

Aerrow looked back at Finn. Noticing the forlorn expression on the blond's face he asked, "What's wrong?"

_Not a word to anyone._

"Uh, nothing," Finn answered, shaking his head. "I'm just a little tired. I'm gonna go lay down for a while."

"Okay," the Sky Knight said as Finn headed off the bridge and down the corridor to his room.

As he walked to his room, the final conversation with Dark Ace ran through his mind.

_Why are you doing this?_

_Doing What?_

_Letting me go._

_I don't know._

Finn sighed as he sat down on his bed. _Why did Dark Ace let me go? More importantly, why did help me in the first place?_

* * *

_(present day)_

Though he still didn't understand why Dark Ace saved his life and brought him back to the Condor, he was very grateful to the man. And now that the others finally knew the truth of what had happened to him nearly nine months ago, he felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. They all seemed to be just as stunned as he was. And for some strange reason, after he had told them, Aerrow would continuously rub his scar.

"Dude, why do you keep rubbing your scar?" Finn asked.

Aerrow shrugged. "I don't know. It just feels sore all of the sudden."

_Okay...more weird._

Finn walked out onto the deck where Soren was sitting, legs hanging over the edge; Radarr was sitting next to him, snacking on some of Piper's sandcakes. The Condor was currently suspended from a cliff on the remote Terra Kjolen. They were a day out of Kainopis and Soren seemed to be a bit anxious to get there. Finn sat down next to him.

"Can I ask you somethin'?" Finn said.

"Sure," Soren replied.

"I know you said you're on an important mission for a friend and the whole fate of Atmos, blah, blah, blah...but what exactly are you supposed to be doing?"

Soren sighed. _Great. Now how am I gonna work around this one? I can't lie to him. How am I gonna tell the truth without telling the truth? Of course, I don't exactly know myself. So it really wouldn't matter. Well, it's not like he asked who my friend is._

"And who's this friend of yours?"

_Spoke too soon...or thought too soon._

"Look, Finn," Soren began, "as much as I would like to tell all of you everything...I can't. At least not until we get to Talon Adegan." _And then we'll all know...including me._

"Oh, okay," the blond replied, slightly disappointed with the answer. He stood up. "I still say that sounds like someone's name." Soren grinned as Finn walked back down the deck towards the hangar. Halfway down, he yelled, "Hey, Aerrow! You think we could get moving now?"

* * *

It looked to be going rather well. This new crop of Talons appeared to be strong and intelligent. Most of them were native Cyclonians but a good number of them were from both free terras and those under Cyclonian control. None were over the age of twenty and all had joined willingly. Dark Ace wondered how many of them truly believed in what they were doing and of late, he wondered the same thing of himself.

The Talon commander stood on a platform overlooking the youngest group of cadets; most of them were a mere sixteen years old. His eyes locked onto one trainee in particular; the boy he had taken on the mission to Terra Ketaris; the boy he had been training himself and placed under Ravess' command—_Dominik_. The teenager stood out like a sore thumb and it wasn't only because of his fighting skills. Yes, there were a lot of blonds, which was kind of weird, but he was pale-blond, nearly-white hair. _What did they call that? Towhead? _And, not to mention, the kid had red eyes—_like his_. With that combination he was hard to ignore. It was also a little creepy; even for Dark Ace. Dominik was an exceptional fighter, with and without a weapon; the best he had ever seen. There were few that could even compare to the teenager's abilities. He had obviously been studying Sky Fu for years; longer than most of the other students. And those particular skills did remind him of someone.

There was another boy, however, the same age as Dominik. Dark Ace had yet to learn the boy's name, but his skill level nearly matched the pale-blond. But unlike Dominik, his appearance made him blend in; until one took a closer look. His jet-black hair was nothing special. His eyes, however, were another matter. The boy had an ocular condition called _complete heterochromia_, in which each iris is a completely different color. In this boy's case his left eye was violet and his right eye was red. And the only reason Dark Ace remembered what the condition was called was because the whole thing was weird. Aside from all of that, the kid seemed familiar to the Talon commander, though he couldn't figure out why. That only made him leery of the boy. He had to keep an eagle-eye on that kid.

"So, how do they look," Ravess asked, walking up to him. She was overseeing the middle group and had recently dismissed them for the day.

"Good," he said flatly, staring out over the large group of teenagers. "When's your next mission?"

"Three days."

"I want you to take Dominik with you," he said, turning his gaze to her.

"Very well."

He walked to the edge of the platform and leaned into the railing. "Cadets!" The teenagers below him stopped their training exercises immediately and stood at attention. "Physical training will resume tomorrow at zero seven hundred hours. Flight training will begin at fourteen hundred hours." His eyes swept over the assembly. "Dismissed!" The cadets saluted and promptly began cleaning their training area.

"Something's bothering you," Ravess said as he started past her. "What's wrong?"

"There's another cadet," Dark Ace replied, "almost as good as Dominik."

"But there's something you don't like about him," she said as they walked out of the training room.

"He looks familiar to me. I don't know why."

As they turned the corner, heading to their quarters', three Talons walked towards them, grinning. Dark Ace scowled at them while Ravess gave them a murderous glare, causing them to drop their grins; but as soon as they passed the two commanders their grins returned. The two of them sighed. It was becoming harder to hide it; they knew some of the Talons had seen them. It had not been her intention to spend so much time with him; but ever since that last battle with that annoying, redheaded Sky Knight, in which he had received the scar on his face, she had grown quite concerned for him. Whoever had stitched him up had done something else to him. And she didn't like it. Then there was Cyclonis. The girl didn't seem too concerned and had loosened the reigns on all three of them exponentially. Something strange was going on and it was very unnerving.

They stopped in front of her quarters. As she opened the door a searing pain shot from the back of his neck into his head, bringing him to his knees. He howled in pain, clutching his head. Ravess pulled him into her quarters and closed the door.

"Talon!" She pulled him into her arms.

His scar began throbbing. Then that voice returned.

_He seems familiar to you, does he?_

Dark Ace didn't respond. He couldn't get past the pain.

_You should, _the voice continued. _You should always hold family close._

He writhed in pain in her arms.

_You love her. _The voice began to chuckle.

_'Don't you dare do anything to her!'_

There was no response; _he_ was gone. The pain intensified for a brief moment. As it ceased, he stared up at Ravess with a distressed look on his face.

"Talon..."

He turned his head, resting it on her arm, and closed his eyes. She caressed his face with her free hand.

"I don't know who did this to you or what they did, but they won't get away with it."

* * *

There it is. And I probably just raised a whole new batch of questions. Hooray for me! I know what I'm going to write for chapter five. Hopefully it won't take me five months to get it up. I doubt it will answer many questions. But, hey. I'm just gettin' started.

Why is it whenever your prepping a chapter for posting you can hardly ever think of what to put in the endnotes, but as soon as you post it all these things pop into your head? The world may never know.

GIT 'ER DONE!

Please review. Please. Pretty please. Pretty please with a Stork on top.

Stork: Get me off of here.


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